He Said, She Said
by jonasxsister
Summary: [Troyella] Troy and Gabriella are chosen to be on East High's new advice show He Said, She Said where students can get advice from a girl and boy's point of view. Takes place two months after the first movie. Please review, no flames! [New Pen Name]
1. Part I: Intro

The homeroom bell chimed and students scurried to their homerooms. Gabriella Montez and her best friend of two months, Taylor McKessie, happily skipped into Ms. Darbus's classroom. "There's Troy," teased Taylor, nudging Gabriella.

"What about him?" asked Gabriella. She knew what Taylor meant. She had been crushing hard on the Wildcat superstar, Troy Bolton, for two months. They were _this close_ to sharing a passionate kiss when Chad Danforth, Taylor's boyfriend, just _had_ to give Troy the game ball at _that_ particular moment. Ever since their kiss was interrupted both Troy and Gabriella were too shy to make another move.

"Go flirt with him!" advised Taylor. Gabriella sighed heavily.

"Taylor, how many times do I have to tell you? We are _just friends_." explained Gabriella, emphasizing on the "just friends."

"Right," said Taylor. "Girl, I can see right through you! Go talk to him!" she cried, pushing Gabriella towards Troy. Taylor had used so much force that Gabriella face landed in Troy's lap.

"Taylor, I am going to kill you!" Gabriella yelled. She looked up to see Troy looking down at her with his sparkling blue eyes. "Uh, hi Troy!" she stuttered. "Sorry I…fell in your lap."

"That's okay," responded Troy, helping the girl up. "So um…I was wondering…uh…do want to—" Troy was interrupted by Sharpay shoving Gabriella to the side. The ice princess took a seat on Troy's desk and flashed him a winning smile.

Sharpay chuckled, "Hi, Troy!" Troy had a look of disgust on his face, making Gabriella laugh.

"My friends Alicia and Charlotte are holding a gala dinner this Friday, would you like to be my date?" questioned Sharpay, batting her long eyelashes that were drenched in mascara.

"Thanks for the offer Sharpay, but I'm really busy this weekend." explained Troy.

"Oh really doing what?" Sharpay asked.

"Uh, you know…stuff." said Troy. He looked at Gabriella for help. Gabriella shrugged and pondered for a short moment.

"He's going to be…out." Gabriella lied. She knew that besides the basketball game, Troy had no other plans.

"Out doing what?" Sharpay questioned sternly.

"He's going to be on a date with me!" shrieked Gabriella. _What did I just say?_ she thought.

"I am?" asked Troy. He coughed, "I mean, I am."

"Fine," scoffed Sharpay. "Maybe some other time," she said, planting a kiss on his lips. She returned to her seat and smiled. _Troy Bolton is so going to be mine,_ she thought.

As soon as the bell rang, Troy raced to the nearest water fountain, Gabriella quickly following. "Blek! That was _disgusting_!" he yelped. Gabriella chuckled. "Thanks for saving me in there," said Troy.

"It's no problem," replied Gabriella, blushing.

"Bolton! Montez!" snapped Principal Matsui. He had a stern expression on his face.

"Yes, Mr. Matsui?" Gabriella asked nervously. She had never been in trouble before.

Principal Matsui's scary look turned into a perky grin. "How would you two like to be the hosts of our new radio advice show, 'He Said, She Said.' Are you interested?"

"What is it?" questioned Troy. And why would the principal want _him_ to give advice?

"It's a teen advice show for East High. Students can call in during free period and get advice from a girl's point of view, and a boy's point of view." explained the principal.

"But why us?" asked Gabriella. She honestly thought it was a great idea. She would get to spend a whole period with Troy! But Troy didn't seem too interested so she decided to act uninterested too.

"Because you two have such great chemistry! The student body would love to see our newest theatrical talents hit the radio!" cheered Principal Matsui.

Troy sighed, "I'm not sure." Gabriella frowned, it had sounded like so much fun.

_But I would get to spend a whole period with Gabriella_, he thought. "I'm in!" he cried.

Gabriella eyes sparkled. "Okay, I'm in too!" she squealed.

"Great, you start tomorrow." the principal informed. "The front office, 11:00, on the dot!" he cried, returning back to his office.

**A/N: How is it? Is it bad? Is it good? Should I continue? Please review, no flames!**

**I am planning on making this a short story, kind of like a three-shot or a four-shot. **

**--DREAM BIG--**

**Troy Is My Boy**


	2. Goin' Crazy

**A/N: Hey guys! Because of all your kind reviews, I'm posting the next chapter today! I do not own any of these characters, not even Alicia and Charlotte (Sharpay's friends)! They are from the _High School Musical_ book series _Stories from East High_. If you haven't read the first book yet, buy it now! It's called _Battle of the Bands_. The only thing that sucks about it is Troy and Gabriella are still just friends. You can tell they are crushing on each other though. Don't forget to buy _Wildcat Spirit_, the second book in the series! There is a preview of it at the end of the first book! All that is revealed is Troy wants Gabriella to ask him to the Spirit Ball, a Sadie Hawkins Dance. Sorry, going off subject! Anyway, enjoy!**

"Hi Troy, are you ready?" Gabriella questioned as she approached Troy's locker.

"Yeah, but I'm a bit nervous. I've never given advice before." he admitted. _But of course, being with you makes everything better,_ thought Troy.

"What do I make better?" questioned Gabriella, confused.

_Shoot! Did I say that out loud?_ thought Troy. "Um, never mind!"

--

"Ah, Mr. Bolton. Miss Montez, welcome." said Principal Matsui with a welcoming smile. "Please, have a seat." Troy and Gabriella took a seat in two black leather chairs in front of a large desk equipped with microphones and hundreds of flashing buttons and switches.

"These six buttons here are to answer the six phone lines. When they light up, press the button and the student calling is on the air!" explained the principal. "Are you two ready?" Troy and Gabriella nodded in response.

"Good morning, East High! Today is the launch of our brand new radio advice column 'He Said, She Said!' If you call in during free period, you could get advice from East High's very own Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez! So call 555-9121 now!" squealed Principal Matsui.

"Alright, are you ready to take some calls?" the principal asked excitedly. Troy and Gabriella nodded again. "Alright!" he cheered, pointing to the telephone. No lights were flashing. "I'm sure students will call in a few minutes."

Thirty minutes later, there were still no calls. Troy and Gabriella were bored to death. Troy was spinning around in his chair and Gabriella was twisting a lock of her chocolate brown curls. All of a sudden, a phone line rang, causing Troy and Gabriella to jump.

"You're on with 'He Said, She Said,'" greeted Gabriella.

"Hi, my best friend likes this guy but is too shy to make a move. And I'm sure that this guy likes her too. Should I tell her to make a move or should I let her go for it on her own?" asked a falsetto voice.

"Are you sure that this guy likes her?" Troy asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"I'm positive." the voice replied.

"Then you should have a talk with her. Tell her that it's a safe time to make a move. And if she doesn't agree, tell her that you are supportive of her decisions." advised Gabriella.

"But I'm not supportive of her decisions! I'm **going crazy**! She's been waiting much too long and she seems desperate. I'm afraid if she waits any longer things will just…fall apart." explained the voice.

"Well, have you talked to the guy?" questioned Troy.

"No, not yet."

"Maybe you should talk to him. If you're positive that he likes her, tell him that your best friend has feelings for him too. Then he'll be less hesitant and he might make a move." said Troy.

"Oh, and stop at nothing to help your friend." Gabriella explained.

"Stop…at…_nothing_." the voice repeated. "Thank you!" she squealed, hanging up the phone.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting call." confessed Gabriella. Troy nodded in agreement. "I wonder who her friend is," she wondered.

"Yeah, and I wonder who the guy is." pondered Troy.

In the hallway, Taylor snickered with Chad by her side. "Did you hear that Chad? Stop at nothing to help Troy and Gabriella."

"Got it," he replied.

**A/N: Sorry it's so short! Due to all your kind review, I've decided to make this a full length story! Just in case you didn't get the last part, the falsetto voice was Taylor. Thanks to special evil for that idea! Please review! Please? Please? Please? I will update faster if I get up to 40 reviews!**

**P.S. There's a reason I bolded "going crazy." It's the name of the chapter!**

**--DREAM BIG--**

**Troy Is My Boy**


	3. We'll Be Together

Troy's words made Gabriella cheeks blush and her dark eyes glow. Sharpay strutted arrogantly into Ms. Darbus's homeroom and gasped when she saw Troy Bolton, the man of her dreams, flirting with the Gabriella. How could she be losing him to a smarty pants? She shook off her evil expression and fixed a suggestive smile on her face. She flounced over to Troy's desk. "Hello Troy," she winked at him, pretending to be unaware of Gabriella's presence.

Troy looked at Sharpay reluctantly, "Uh, hi Sharpay."

Sharpay flirtatiously waved back and pretended to just notice Gabriella, who was staring up at her with a weird look. "Oh, hi Gabriella! How are you today?" she asked cheerfully.

"Actually I'm—" Gabriella didn't get to finish her kind reply since Sharpay shoved her forcefully to the side.

"So Troy, I'm still dateless for that gala dinner on Friday night." Sharpay informed him.

_That's no surprise, _Troy thought. "Oh, what a shame." he said.

Sharpay chuckled, "Well, when I asked you to be my date yesterday you seemed a little tense; so I'm going to give you another chance and ask you again. So, will you be my date?"

Troy cringed, when would Sharpay get the picture? When would she realize that he wasn't the least bit interested in her? "Once again, thank you so much for the offer…but I'm afraid I'm very busy." he replied in a professional manner.

"I totally understand, Troy!" squealed Sharpay. "Someone as popular as _you_ must have a lot of things to do. I know exactly how you feel! Sometimes I'm _so_ busy with musical productions, rehearsals, singing instruction, and dance classes that I only get to party three times a week!" she explained.

"Well, if you don't want to be dateless this Friday, maybe you should ask Zeke. It's obvious that he has a thing for you, Sharpay." Troy suggested.

"Who's Zeke? Oh yeah, the baker guy. Oh no, Troy, certainly not. The only one I want…is _you_." she huffed seductively, pointing a finger to his face. "Here's my number sweetie, call me." She touched the tip of his nose and treated him with a peck on the lips. She waved happily and returned to her seat, leaving Troy and Gabriella confused.

"Do I _have_ to start everyday like this?" Troy questioned gruffly, wiping his mouth with his shirt.

Gabriella shrugged and chuckled, "She's not going to give up until she gets what she wants, Troy." Troy nodded in agreement.

"You did great on yesterday's show." he commented, gently touching her pale hand.

She blushed and looked down at her hand, "You too." For a moment the two sat in an awkward silence. They both blushed and looked away. After a while, the homeroom bell rang and Troy quickly moved his hand. Gabriella smiled at Troy and left to go to her desk.

"Good morning young scholars!" Ms. Darbus chimed. "For today's announcements, our school will be having a…"

Ms. Darbus's words seemed to slowly fade away as Troy was resting his eyes on beautiful, beautiful Gabriella.

--

"Wow Troy, you're amazing! You handled that session like a pro!" Gabriella giggled, skipping out of the principal's office. "It was as if you had a real connection with the caller. Poor guy, his friends made fun of him because he took yoga. Who knew _you_ took yoga too?!" she asked in surprise.

Troy chuckled uncomfortably, "I like to keep that to myself. Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to—"

"Troy! Oh my God, what are you doing here?" Sharpay asked, making her way over to the two.

"Uh, I'm about to go to the cafeteria with Gabriella." he answered. He was now sick in the stomach, the way Sharpay always made him feel.

"Oh," Sharpay muttered disgustedly, as if Gabriella was a pile of trash. "I'll see you later!" she squealed, walking in the other direction.

Troy shivered, "Let's go before she comes back!" He grabbed Gabriella by the hand and hurried off to the cafeteria.

"She is really starting to scare me," Gabriella said, laughing. Troy let go of Gabriella's hand and they both sat down at an empty table. "So…basketball's finally over, huh?" she asked, breaking the silence.

Troy shrugged, "Yeah, finally. How are Scholastic Decathlon practices going?"

"We're doing pretty well. Taylor says we'll be more than ready for our next competition. Troy mouthed a silent "oh." Gabriella nodded, "Yep, I can't wait. At my old school, Sun High, winning academic competitions was just something I did almost every single day. Here, it seems like something fun…it's actually challenging for me." Troy looked surprised, if something was challenging for Gabriella, it must have been very difficult.

--

"Thanks for walking me home again, Troy." Gabriella blushed and looked at her shoes.

"Hey, it's no problem, I have nothing to do after school anyway…since basketball is over." he informed.

"What about yoga?" she teased him.

"You said you wouldn't talk about that anymore!" whined Troy. He looked like a toddler that was pouting because he couldn't have any candy.

"Alright, fine. I won't talk about it anymore. Bye, Troy."

"I'll see you tomorrow." he said as he kissed her on the cheek. He smiled and left.

"Bye Troy," Gabriella whispered to herself.


	4. Say OK

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Ms. Montez greeted as she was flipping pancakes over the griddle.

"Hey, Mom." Gabriella replied, sliding into a seat at the dining table.

"Are you ready for the dance on Friday?" her mom asked, setting a steaming plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs in front of her.

"The dance? Oh yeah, the Spring Fling. I don't know if I want to go, since I probably won't get a date." she sighed and poked her fork into her eggs.

"You could always go with your friends…" Ms. Montez suggested. "…Or Troy."

Gabriella laughed, "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? Troy and I are _just friends_."

"Of course, honey." Ms. Montez remarked sarcastically.

--

"How was your sleep, pumpkin?" Mrs. Bolton asked her son.

"Yeah, _pumpkin_." teased Troy's older sister, Adrianna. Troy rolled his eyes and took a seat next to his dad, who had a mug of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

"Hey Troy, do you need me to drive you to yoga or are you driving yourself?" Adrianna asked her little brother.

"Yoga? Troy, what does she mean by that?" Coach Bolton asked.

Troy bit his lip, "It's nothing, Dad. I swear." He shot an evil glare at his sister. She shrugged and tossed her wavy blonde hair.

"So honey, are you planning on going to the Spring Fling?" Mrs. Bolton asked, dragging in _For Sale _signs through the front door (she's in real estate).

"More important, who are you planning on going with?" inquired Adrianna, spreading cream cheese over her toasted bagel.

"Somebody," replied Troy.

"Per chance, could that someone be…Gabriella Montez?" Coach Bolton asked, sipping his coffee. Troy kept silent. He hated it when his family pestered him about Gabriella.

"Oh, little baby Troy has a crush on Gabriella!" Adrianna said in a baby voice.

"At least I'll have a date for the Spring Fling unlike you!" exclaimed Troy. Last year, Adrianna's senior year, she couldn't find a date to the Spring Fling. Troy would never let her live that down. Adrianna gasped and stomped off.

--

"Are you ready, Chad?" Taylor asked, looking at her expensive Rolex watch.

"I'm a-go…" he replied.

"Chad, how many times do I have to tell you? We're not Charlie's Angels, okay?"

"I can dream, can't I?" he asked.

"Whatever, Chad. Pay attention! The plan is in action in…3…2…1…go!" she ordered. The two scrambled and went their separate ways.

Chad dropped to the floor and started rolling and crawling as if there were laser beams in every corner. He'd pop his head up every once in a while to check his surroundings. Once again, he got on all fours and rolled and rolled Charlie's Angels style until he hit a pair of legs. "Chad? What the heck are you doing?" Troy asked, looking down at his strange friend.

"Troy, I've been looking everywhere for you! You're planning on going to the Spring Fling, right?" asked Chad, looking Troy right in the eye.

"Yes, why?" Troy was confused.

"Good, because now you can ask Gabriella to be your date." Chad explained.

Troy sighed and chuckled, "Chad, I—"

"No," Chad said sternly. "You are going to ask her, and she is going to say yes!"

"Chad, stop it. I—"

"No, _you_ stop it. Fifty bucks says you can't do it."

"Can't do what?" asked Troy.

"Fifty bucks says that you can't ask Gabriella to be your date for the Spring Fling!" alleged Chad.

"Oh, it's on!" said Troy.

"Alright then," sputtered Chad, holding out his hand. "It's a bet…"

"It's a bet," agreed Troy, accepting the handshake.

--

"Thanks for calling!" Gabriella smiled cheerfully and hung up the phone. "You know what, Troy? I'm proud of myself…I just helped a girl get a date for the Spring Fling!"

Troy smiled, "Yes Gabriella, you're very good at matchmaking."

"Oh, I wish! I can't even get my own date for Spring Fling. Has Sharpay asked you yet?" she asked sarcastically.

"Not yet but I bet she will…unfortunately. So, you don't have a date for Spring Fling?"

"Sadly—" Gabriella was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek coming from the hallway. Troy and Gabriella ran outside to see what was going on. There stood Sharpay, screaming at the top of her lungs, alongside Zeke, who was holding a small cake that said "Sharpay" in pink icing. "Get away from me!" she yelled, motioning for Zeke to back away.

"Sharpay, I was just going to ask if you would be my date for Spring Fling!" Zeke cried, trying to defend himself.

"I am not going to Spring Fling with _you_! Especially since you tried to bribe me with that…carb machine!" Sharpay exclaimed, pointing to the cake.

"But I spent hours on this cake! I made it just for you!" he yelped.

"Well go give it to some other girl who is willing to get fat!" Sharpay tossed her hair, turned swiftly on her silver heels and took off, leaving Zeke heartbroken. He dropped the cake in the middle of the floor and opened his locker, hiding his tearful face.

Troy slowly walked over to his friend. "Are you okay, Zeke?" he asked softly.

Zeke glared at Troy with his sorrowful eyes. "Just peachy!" he cried sarcastically.

"Oh come on, Zeke. It's not your fault. Sharpay just doesn't appreciate all that you do for her."

"But I work so hard. I work day and night, and yet…it's not enough for her." Zeke wiped his tears with the collar of his shirt.

"Then maybe _she's_ not enough for _you_." Troy soothed.

"But do you remember the day of the championship game? What a day it was! Sharpay tasted my chocolate chip cookies and she loved them!"

"Yeah, but then she started eating a lot and ended up gaining a quarter of a pound. She freaked out and vowed never to eat your desserts again, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Zeke muttered sadly.

"Listen dude, there are many other girls out there, and I'm sure many of them will treat you better than Sharpay." Troy explained.

"Yeah, there are many other fish in the sea, right?"

Troy nodded, "There you go! You see, you don't need Sharpay! Now go find...some other girl." Zeke nodded cheerfully and took off.

"Mr. Bolton, pick up this cake or it's an hour of detention, Darbus-style, for you." the drama teacher ordered. Troy rolled his eyes and unwillingly picked up the cake. All of a sudden, Sharpay appeared from around the corner.

"Oh my, Troy! Is this beautiful cake for me?" she asked, looking shocked.

"What?!" he asked in surprise. "No!"

"But, my name is on there!" she squealed.

"Sharpay, this is the cake Zeke offered you. You said 'no' to him right in his face and rejected this 'carb machine!'" he ejaculated.

Sharpay chuckled, "Well, I think I've figured it out! Troy, are you trying to ask me to be your date for Spring Fling?"

"No!" cried Troy, disgusted. "I am _not_ asking you to be my date, especially after you rejected one of my best friends!" He dumped the cake into the trash can and took off with Gabriella. "She is really getting on my nerves!" he muttered to her.

"She's not going to give up, Troy. You can see how much she wants you." Gabriella told him. Troy turned around to see Sharpay blowing kisses at him.

He turned to Gabriella with a frightful look on his face, "When is she going to get a clue?"

--

"It's all good!" exclaimed Chad as he came across Taylor.

"Great! You got Troy to take the bet?" she asked. Chad nodded proudly. "The plan is in perfect order, Troy is definitely going to ask Gabriella to be his date for Spring Fling!" she cried excitedly. In a flash, her expression changed from happy to worry. "Chad, what if Troy's just asking Gabriella to be his date because of the bet?"

Chad's smiled faded. "I never thought about it that way. But I'm sure he's not, we all know that he has a thing for her!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right!"

"There's only one problem though," Chad mumbled.

"What is it?" asked Taylor.

"Where am I going to find fifty bucks?"

"Chad!" Taylor winced.

--

"Okay, well…I have to go, I'm going to be late for…yoga." Troy whispered.

Gabriella smiled, "Well, you don't want to be late for that." She turned around slowly and began walking towards her locker.

"Gabriella?" Troy asked quietly. She turned around and found him shyly looking at his feet. His head slowly cocked up.

"WillyoubemydateforSpringFling?" he asked quickly. All his words were in a bunch.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Would you…um…by any chance…um…like to be my date for Spring Fling?" he asked nervously.

It took Gabriella a while to figure out what he had just said. The words were finally sinking in. She blushed, then looked up at him. "I would love to be your date for Spring Fling." she replied.

"Okay, well then…" Troy stopped himself when he realized that she had said yes. "Great then! I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled at her and left.

Gabriella stood there, speechless. It took her a moment to figure out that she actually had a date for Spring Fling! Even better, with Troy Bolton! Dazzled, she spun around and in a trance manner swept herself to the auditorium. Her eyes trained around the empty room and she hopped on stage. There stood an untouched microphone. Gabriella turned on the microphone and sang her soft words:

**You are fine  
You are sweet  
But I'm still a bit naive with my heart  
When you're close I don't breathe  
I can't find the words to speak  
I feel sparks  
But I don't wanna be into you  
If you're not looking for true love**

**No I don't wanna start seeing you **

**If I can't be your only one **

**-  
So tell me when it's not alright  
When it's not ok  
Will you try to make me feel better?  
Will you say alright?  
Will you say ok?  
Will you stick with me through whatever?  
Or run away  
Say ok**

**-**

**When you call I don't know ****If I should pick up the phone every time  
I'm not like all my friends who keep calling up the boys, ****I'm so shy  
But I don't wanna be into you  
If you don't treat me the right way  
See I can only start seeing you  
If you can make my heart feel safe**

**-  
When it's not alright  
When it's not ok  
Will you try to make me feel better?  
Will you say alright?  
Will you say ok?  
Will you stick with me through whatever?  
Or run away **

**-  
Let me know if it's gonna be you  
Boy, you've got some things to prove  
Let me know that you'll keep me safe  
I don't want you to run away so  
Let me know that you'll call on time  
Let me know that you'll help me shine  
Will you wipe my tears away  
Will you hold me close and say **

**-  
When it's not alright  
When it's not ok  
Will you try to make me feel better  
will you say alright?  
Will you say ok?  
will you stick with me through whatever?  
Or run away  
Say ok  
Say that it's gonna be alright**

**That it's gonna be ok **

**Don't run away  
Will you say ok?  
****Say that it's gonna be alright **

**That it's gonna be ok**

**Don't run away**

**Will you say ok?**

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I know this is a Vanessa Hudgens song and not an Ashley Tisdale song. Well, from now on, the chapters will be named after Ashley _and_ Vanessa songs. Got it? To tell you the truth, Troy honestly forgot about the bet he and Chad had made. But what will happen when Gabriella finds out it was a bet in the first place? Tune in next time on _He Said, She Said_! **

P.S. Fanfiction totally messed up the format of the lyrics, so it's not my fault!


	5. Love Me for Me

Gabriella sighed dreamily and opened the door to her house. She was alone, since her mother was still at work. Pumpkin, her orange-colored cat waddled up to greet her but Gabriella didn't notice her and accidentally stepped on her tail. "MEOW!" screeched Pumpkin.

"Oh, Pumpkin! I'm so sorry, honey!" cried Gabriella, picking up her cat. "I just have a lot on my mind." She smiled and plopped on to the couch, where Pumpkin left her and ran over to her food dish. "I can't believe I'm going to Spring Fling with Troy Bolton!" Gabriella squealed, spinning around and tumbling back on to the couch. Gabriella loved everything about Troy, his personality, his passion for singing and basketball, his gorgeous blue eyes, and not to mention his hot smile. She stood up and threw her book bag over her shoulder. Smiling, she journeyed to her room and started her biology homework.

* * *

"…And breathe." the yoga instructor commanded. Troy took a deep breath and slowly let the air escape from his mouth. "Fantastic! By the end of this week, I'm sure all of you will be in touch with your feelings! Plus, you'll be sure to find your inner peace!" The peppy instructor clapped her hands and picked up her gym bag. "Mr. Bolton, I am amazed at your style of the Ben-Shi breathing technique! I hereby congratulate you on your unique and distinctive contributions to this class!" 

"Uh…yeah!" Troy exclaimed, confused.

"By the time basketball season comes around, you will be cool and calm. You will think of losing as a spiritual message that tells us to work harder. Oh my, what a positive influence to the rest of the team! I can't wait for the Wildcats to lose!" she giggled.

Troy looked stunned, "I'll see you next week, Master Heather."

"Good bye, Troy. Remember…inner peace!" she hollered as Troy exited the room.

* * *

"Gabriella, where have you been?" yelled Taylor, running over to her best friend who was about to enter the bookstore. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" she said, catching her breath. 

"Hi Taylor, I've been at home doing homework. I've also been studying. Hey, are you ready for that biology—"

"Enough! So, are you going to the Spring Fling with anyone?" asked Taylor, although she obviously knew who it was.

Gabriella bit her lip and smiled, "Guess who?" she asked excitedly.

"Hmm…could it be…Troy?"

"Okay, you got me!" exclaimed Gabriella. She swooned, "I just can't believe he finally asked me! I mean, I've always dreamed about the time that I'd be at a dance with _him_! I am so glad he built up the courage to ask me on his own!"

Taylor smiled uncomfortably, "Uh-huh…right. Um, do you want to pick up a new book and grab a mocha latte?"

Gabriella raised her eyebrows and her friend's reaction, "Taylor, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Taylor quickly snapped out of it, "It's nothing, I swear. Come on, let's go!"

* * *

The next day at school, Gabriella was grabbing her calculus book out of her locker when she felt a tapping on her shoulder. She quickly turned around to see Sharpay staring at her with her evil brown eyes. 

"Can I help you, Sharpay?" she asked.

"Listen Montez, and listen good." she snapped.

"You mean…well." Gabriella corrected.

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "Whatever Miss Braniac. I heard you're going to the Spring Fling with Troy."

_How does she know? She's probably going to kill me,_ thought Gabriella. "How do you know about that?" Sharpay pointed to a group of cheerleaders, gabbing outside of the girls' bathroom.

"Oh my God, did you hear? Troy Bolton asked Gabriella Montez to Spring Fling!" cried Ami, the head cheerleader.

"What?! No way!" Kayla, another cheerleader gasped.

Ami nodded in disappointment, "You know, I always thought he would go for one of us."

"Totally," agreed Christine, another cheerleader. "Who would've though he would go for a nerd?" Gabriella frowned at that statement.

"I know!" exclaimed Kayla. "Well, that Montez girl is way better than that Sharpay Evans." Sharpay gasped.

"Anyway Montez, you better watch it. Troy Bolton is going to be _mine_, do you hear me?" she glared at Gabriella's frightened face for ten long seconds until her eyelids, tipped with mascara-soaked eyelashes, had to blink. "You'd better stay away from him! Or else…" Sharpay took a step forward and confronted Gabriella, "…you'll get it." With a flip of her long hair she stomped off, leaving Gabriella confusingly scared. Gabriella shrugged; she knew Troy would never let Sharpay take her away. She smiled, Troy was her protector. As soon as she took out her calculus book, a folded piece of lined paper fell from the top shelf. Gabriella bent down and retrieved the note. It read:

_Gabriella, _

_Meet me in our secret spot. _

_Troy_

Gabriella blushed and shut her locker. She hoisted her book bag over her right shoulder and ran towards the staircase that led to the roof. She twisted and turned along with the winding path of the stairs until she reached the garden. "It's like a jungle up here," she commented, repeating the words she had said when she first visited the roof.

"Yeah, just like that cafeteria," he said smiling. He looked down at his feet. "So are you excited for Saturday?"

Gabriella chuckled, "I'm really glad that you asked me, Troy. I was worried that no one would ask me and I would end up dateless. But now, I have a date! Even better…with _you_." she mumbled quietly, starting to blush. Her red cheeks glowed in the reflection of the sun's rays.

Troy started to move towards her, "Well, I'm flattered. I was scared that Sharpay was going to ask me to be her date. Then she thought I was asking her because I was holding the cake that Zeke baked for her." Gabriella nodded slowly. "News travels fast, huh?" he asked.

"What?" inquired Gabriella.

"You know…the news about us going to the dance together?" He was starting to blush.

Gabriella rested her hand on the metal bar that lay in front of them. "Oh yeah, I heard Ami and her friends talking about it."

"I heard the rest of the team whispering about it when we were hanging out in the gym." He placed his hand on top of hers and gripped on to it. He brought it off the bar. Gabriella cheeks flushed with red as she looked down, she could see that they were holding hands. She then concentrated on Troy's crystal blue eyes and saw that he was concentrating on her chocolate brown ones. She could see his head leaning towards her. Without thinking, she started leaning in too. The two were finally about to share a romantic kiss when…

"Hey Troy, what's up?" Chad asked.

Troy groaned, "Chad, what are you doing here?"

"So did you ask her?" questioned the floppy-haired boy, winking.

Troy whined, "Yes. Now can you go away?" He was still holding on to Gabriella's hand.

"You're fifty bucks richer, man!" Chad squeaked.

"Huh?" asked Troy, raising an eyebrow.

"The bet, remember?"

"Troy, what is he talking about?" Gabriella asked innocently.

"The bet…you know…that you couldn't ask Gabriella to be your date for Spring Fling?"

"What?!" cried Gabriella. She pulled her hand out of Troy's grip and headed for the stairs.

"Gabriella, wait!"

Gabriella turned around so Troy could see her tearful face. "No, Troy. I thought you loved me for me…not because I would make you fifty bucks richer." she managed to say.

* * *

**A/N: Poor Gabriella! Will she ever forgive Troy? Will Troy once again win Gabriella's heart? Tune in next time on _He Said, She Said_! I will update faster if I get up to 125 reviews!**


	6. Whatever Will Be

"Gabriella, please let me explain!" Troy begged hopelessly.

She let the tears escaping from her eyes fall down her face. "Too little, too late Troy." She turned around so quickly that her chocolate curls slapped against her face. She ran off sobbing, there was no turning back.

"It's all my fault," whispered Troy. "I should have never taken that bet."

Gabriella raced into the auditorium and sank into a chair in the first row. She took out her biology notebook and opened it to the inside cover. It read **Troy and Gabriella ****equals True Love.** She took out her permanent marker and scribbled out the "Troy." She flipped to the back cover of the notebook; it had **Troy and Gabriella are ****Breaking Free** in big blue letters. Angrily, she scribbled over it. Gabriella panted heavily and wiped her tears. Her anger turned to sadness. The dismissal bell rang and she could hear students scurrying out of their classrooms. She knew if she went outside Troy would find her. She curled herself into a ball and continued bawling. Twenty minutes later, she peeked out of the auditorium to find the halls of East High empty. She closed her eyes and started walking as she broke into song.

**Sometimes I feel like I'm a bird with broken wings  
At times I dread my now and envy where I've been  
But that's when quiet wisdom takes control  
At least I've got a story no one's told **

I finally learned to say  
Whatever will be will be  
I've learned to take  
The good, the bad and breathe  
'Cause although we like  
To know what life's got planned  
No one knows if shooting stars will land

These days it feels naive to put your faith in hope  
To imitate a child, fall backwards on the snow  
'Cause that's when fears will usually lead you blind  
But now I try to under-analyze

**I finally learned to say  
Whatever will be will be  
I've learned to take  
The good, the bad and breathe  
'Cause although we like  
To know what life's got planned  
No one knows if shooting stars will land  
**

**Is the rope I walk wearing thin?  
Is the life I love caving in?  
Is the weight on your mind  
A heavy black bird caged inside? **

Say  
Whatever will be will be  
Take  
The good, the bad  
Just breathe

'Cause although we like  
To know what life's got planned  
No one knows if shooting stars will land

Whatever will be will be  
I've learned to take  
The good, the bad and breathe  
'Cause although we like  
To know what life's got planned  
Things like that are never in your head  
No one knows if shooting stars will land

Gabriella finished her ballad and sadly walked back into the auditorium and grabbed her things. She quietly walked out through the front of the school and started on her journey home.

* * *

"Are you ready for today's show?" A perky Principal Matsui asked. 

Gabriella blew a lock of hair out of her face. "Sure," Troy was confused. Gabriella seemed so different today. He couldn't believe himself for thinking this, but he thought she was an unorganized slob. Her usually dark and wavy hair was now un-brushed and in a messy ponytail. Troy had finally accepted the fact that she wasn't talking to him.

"I guess," mumbled Troy. In a second, one of the phone lines flashed and Troy answered. "You're on live on _He Said, She Said_.'" Troy greeted.

"Uh, hi. I'm Samantha. I recently took a job at a local club as a singer since I love to sing and I need the money. This past month, I've been finding myself way too busy afterward to do anything else. I mean, I can do my homework and all but I don't have time to go shopping, eat out, or anything like that. Should I quit the job?"

Troy looked at Gabriella; she didn't look like she was going to answer. "Do you like your job?" he asked.

"Yes, I love it." replied Samantha.

"And you also need the money, right?" Troy questioned.

"Yes, I'm saving up to buy my own car." said Samantha.

"Well, since you do have time to your homework, I think you should keep the job. After all you need the money." advised Troy.

"You should do it for fun since you love to sing." Gabriella piped up.

Troy was glad to see that Gabriella was talking, but he strongly disagreed. "She should do it for the money, she needs it!" he countered.

"She should do it for fun, she loves it!" yelled Gabriella.

"She needs a car!" he cried.

"She loves to sing!" she exclaimed.

"Money!"

"Fun!"

"Money!"

"Fun!" The two went bickering back and forth for five minutes. "You know what, Samantha? You should just quit the job!" hissed Gabriella, as she stood up from her chair. She stormed off angrily.

"And that concludes today's show!" Principal Matsui explained. "You're excused, Troy." Troy jumped out of his chair and ran out to the hallway to try to talk to Gabriella. He saw Gabriella stomping off to her locker and Sharpay approaching her.

"Hey Gabriella, I heard your plans to go to Spring Fling with Troy are broken now." Sharpay informed with a smirk on her face.

"Back off, drama queen!" Gabriella yelled. Troy's mouth hung open; he had never seen Gabriella like that before. He decided that this was not an appropriate time to talk to her.

* * *

At lunch, Troy and Gabriella sat at the far ends of the cafeteria, when they usually sat side-by-side. Taylor retrieved her lunch from her locker and sat down next to Gabriella. "What's wrong, Gabriella?" she asked politely, opening her lunch bag. 

"Terrible, it turns out that Troy asking me to the dance was just a bet he made with Chad." Gabriella replied.

Taylor gulped, "That's horrible! I'm so sorry, Gabriella. You know how guys are."

"Apparently I don't. I really thought Troy liked me."

Taylor sighed, "He does, Gabriella. Can't you see it in the way he looks at you? The way he's always willing to walk you home, even when he has his own car. He's willing to walk you home and then back to school to get his car, just so you won't be alone. He goes great lengths for you."

Gabriella shook her head and pulled a turkey and soybean sandwich from a paper bag. Taylor squinted, "Gabriella, don't you usually buy lunch?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't in the mood for standing in line to buy unidentifiable sludge and then eat it." Gabriella took two bites out of her sandwich and left the table. She ran into the girls' bathroom and entered a stall. She locked it and started wailing. What she didn't know was Taylor was closely following.

"Gabriella, are you alright?" she asked, gently knocking on the door.

"Go away, Taylor. I want to be alone." Taylor could hear her sniffling. Gabriella was constantly flushing the toilet to hide the sound of her crying.

"Come on Gabriella, talk to me. Please?"

"I can't believe Troy would do this to me! I thought he had feelings for me! I thought he was something special. Turns out, I was all wrong.

* * *

"Hey buddy, are you okay?" Chad asked, placing a soothing hand on Troy's shoulder. Troy was looking out to the horizon at his secret spot. 

"How do you think I am? Gabriella found out the bet and now everything is ruined." As Chad got closer he could see tears in Troy's eyes. The only time Chad had seen Troy cry was when his great-grandmother died.

"You really want her, don't you?" questioned Chad.

Troy stood up. "I really do, Chad." he started to wipe his tears. "I should have never taken that bet."

Chad shook his head, "No, it's my fault. I should have never made that bet. Confession time…"

"Huh?" asked Troy.

"Do you remember the first day of _He Said, She Said_? That call about someone's friend who was too shy to make a move with her crush, remember?"

"Uh-huh," Troy nodded.

"Well, that was Taylor. You guys seemed so desperate that we decided to take action."

"Chad, don't you know not to but in to other peoples' lives? Troy asked briskly. "Because of you, Gabriella hates me now! Even worse, she's changed her attitude, personality, the way she dresses, and everything!"

"Troy, Taylor and I didn't know that it would end up this way."

"To tell the truth Chad, I honestly forgot about the bet when I asked her to be my date."

"Really?" asked Chad.

Troy nodded, "Yeah. I just want to fix it all."

* * *

**A/N: I know, this chapter sucks! The next one is better and more _romantic_. Oops, did I accidentally drop a hint? Keep on reviewing! If you don't I will never update again! Just kidding, but please do! I really appreciate them and positive feedback makes my day. This chapter is dedicated to loveyoumeanitbye since she left me an amazing review. Don't worry, _all_ of you will get a shout-out eventually! I hope to get at least 200 reviews by the end of the whole story! **

**No one knows if shooting stars will land...I love that line! It's so meaningful! It's a nice way to say that no one knows what the future holds. **


	7. Drip Drop

It was a frosty Friday morning and Gabriella sighed as she entered East High. The crisp silence from outdoors suddenly changed into loud chatter from a variety of many voices blended together. Gabriella looked around the hallway to see big green signs advertising the Spring Fling adorned on the wall. Taylor trotted up to her best friend and put a comforting arm around her. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better than yesterday, but still terrible." Gabriella replied. She broke free of Taylor's grasp and turned towards her locker.

_Somebody's in a bad mood, _thought Taylor. She ran up to Gabriella, "Don't worry Gabriella, you'll feel much better at the Spring Fling."

"I'm not going to Spring Fling, Taylor." she informed.

"What?!" Taylor gasped. "Gabriella, you have to go!"

"Why go when I don't have a date?" Gabriella placed her book bag in her locker and took out her history book. She slammed her locker shut and started walking.

"Come on, you can hang out with me and Kelsi!" Taylor pleaded. Inside, she knew this was her fault.

"No Taylor, I'm really not in the mood to go to the dance. Especially after what Troy did to me."

Taylor took a deep breath, "I need to make a confession."

"Huh?"

"You see, Chad and I called in to _He Said She Said_ saying that I had a friend that was too shy to make a move with her crush."

"That was you?" Gabriella asked, startled. "Taylor, I told you talk to your 'friend.'"

"I know, I tried talking to you! But all you would say was 'Oh Taylor, we're just friends!' Did you expect me to believe that?"

"No. But what does this have to do with Troy betraying me?" asked Gabriella.

"Well, Chad knew Troy goes crazy with bets. We already knew that Troy was planning on asking you already, but we also knew he was too afraid. So we thought maybe if Chad made a bet with Troy to ask you to the dance, he would want to prove to Chad that he's not a chicken and ask you."

Gabriella shook her head, "It's okay Taylor, you don't have to take the blame for Troy."

"No, it really is my fault. Troy didn't do anything. Please believe me!"

"Thanks for trying, Taylor." Gabriella turned in the other direction and walked away.

* * *

"How does this look?" Taylor asked, showing off her purple silk gown she was wearing for the dance.

"It's beautiful Taylor," Gabriella commented, smiling.

Taylor was glad to see Gabriella smiling. "What do you think, Kelsi?"

"It's amazing, Taylor. You're sure to glow in that dress." Kelsi smoothed out the skirt of her own silky green dress.

"Thank you, Kelsi. And yours is quite beautiful, if I may say so." Taylor replied.

"Gabriella, are you sure you don't want to come with us?" asked Kelsi.

"Oh please, I don't even have a dress! More importantly…a date." she sighed and hung her head down.

"Actually, you and Troy never really called the date off." Taylor informed. "You can wear the dress I wore last year."

"No thank you. I think I'm just going to go home." Gabriella left the McKessie house and walked slowly to her own house, which was only five houses down.

"Hey honey, aren't you going to get ready for the Spring Fling?" Ms. Montez asked her daughter.

"No Mom, I'm not going to the Spring Fling after all." answered Gabriella.

"I thought you were going with Troy," said her mother.

"Well, something came up so our plans changed." Gabriella never told her mother about the whole bet incident.

"But don't you want to go with your friends? I'm sure you'll have just as much fun."

"No Mom, I think I'm just going to go for a walk." Gabriella grabbed her sweatshirt and puller it over her baby blue top. She stepped out into the freezing cold and slowly started walking along. She passed by many houses of people who went to school with her.

"Hey Gabriella, aren't you going to the dance?" a girl named Hannah asked.

Gabriella shook her head, "No."

"But I thought you were going with Troy Bolton."

"Something came up, so I'm not going anymore. Have fun, Hannah." she encouraged warmly.

"Thanks, have a great evening." Hannah said as she linked arms with her date, Braison Green, who was also on the basketball team. Gabriella continued walking along and passed by Ami the cheerleader's house. She could hear Ami snickering with her fellow cheerleaders.

"I heard she dumped Troy for a nerd." Kayla muttered to Ami.

"That is _so_ not true, she dumped him so she could spend the night studying at home." Ami informed.

"Ooh," all the cheerleaders cooed. "Come on girls, into the limo!" Ami demanded as they all hopped into the black stretch limousine.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and continued walking. She passed by the Albuquerque Oaks Park and threw rocks into the stream. She sat alone on the swings and slowly started swaying along with the soft breeze of the wind. Her brown locks blew with the breeze as she sighed and let her feet sink into the sand. Gabriella got up and slipped her shoes back on. Step by step she moved in the direction of the wind. She didn't bother to stop until she felt herself step in a pile of dog poop.

"Oh, God." she whimpered, looking at the bottom of her shoe. She winced and looked at the house that lay before her. It was sadly familiar until she realized that it was Troy's house. She heard dribbling and grunting from the backyard. She peeked over the fence and saw Troy struggling to shoot baskets, missing every single one. One ball rolled over and hit the fence that Gabriella was hanging on to. She saw that Troy was coming over to retrieve the ball. Without thinking, she bent down so she couldn't be seen. As Troy picked up the ball, she could see that he was crying.

"Troy?" she called quietly.

Troy turned around, "Gabriella? What are you doing here?" he asked, opening the gate that allowed her to come into his backyard.

"I was just in the neighborhood…literally. I just ended up in front of your house so, I guess my heart was telling me to come here. Why aren't you at the dance?" Gabriella asked.

"I didn't feel like going," he said, wiping his tears. "Gabriella, I'm really sorry. I was planning on asking you anyways. I honestly forgot about the bet when I was asking you."

"I'm listening," she explained. "But why'd you take the bet in the first place?"

Troy shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I didn't want Chad to think I was a chicken."

Gabriella gasped, "Taylor _was_ telling the truth!"

"Huh?" Troy asked, confused.

"Taylor told me that she and Chad called in to _He Said, She Said_ and that Chad made the bet with you on purpose…to get us together." She put her head down since she was blushing.

"Yeah, Chad told me that. He really needs to think his plans through before putting them in action." explained Troy.

Gabriella chuckled softly, "Uh-huh…yeah."

"Do you forgive me?" Troy asked nervously as he was biting her lower lip.

"Of course I forgive you, Troy Bolton!" she said. "By the way, were you _crying_?" she asked teasingly.

Troy scoffed, "Troy Bolton does _not_ cry…" Gabriella raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"…For anyone but you." he finished. It took Gabriella a moment to realize the sweet thing that Troy had just said.

"Oh…um…thanks." she mumbled. The two were engaged in yet another awkward silence, their cheeks red and all. Gabriella looked at her shoes while Troy looked behind him, both trying to avoid embarrassing eye contact.

"Um, I have dog poop on my shoe." muttered Gabriella, breaking the silence. She took off her shoe and started slapping it against the ground in an effort to get it off. Troy laughed at her. "What?" she asked, placing the shoe back on her foot.

"It's nothing," replied Troy as raindrops started to fall. The light drizzle evolved into a raging pour. "Wow, this sucks for all the students at Spring Fling," he said. "All their fancy attire will get ruined."

"Yeah, I'm actually glad I'm not there." admitted Gabriella, squeezing a lock of her soaking brown hair. Troy's hair was soaking wet too. He shook his head from side to side and the water splattered on to Gabriella's face. "Troy!" she yelped playfully.

"Why does it matter? You're already soaked!" he cried.

"That's true, so it doesn't matter If I'm sprayed or not." she said proudly. Troy nodded in agreement. "Also, it means it doesn't matter if _you_ get sprayed or not." She picked up the hose that lay beside her.

Troy's eyes widened. "What? No, Gabriella!" he whined as she aimed the nozzle at him.

"Too late!" she giggled, spraying him with the freezing gush of water. Troy started chasing after her in an effort to take the hose away from her. He finally grabbed her by the waist and started spinning her around as she laughed.

"Troy…put…me…down!" she managed to say in between laughs. Gabriella finally let go of the hose and Troy finally let go of her, although she was still in his grip. This time, they were facing each other, their faces only an inch apart. "Um, my mom's probably worried about me. I'll see you on Monday." Gabriella turned around and started heading for the gate.

"Gabriella, wait!" Troy hollered.

Gabriella turned around, her wet curls slapping against her face. "What? I really think I should—" her soft words were interrupted by Troy's lips on hers. Instead of pulling away, she kissed him back and put her arms around his neck. After all, this was what she had wanted for a long time.

* * *

**A/N: Aw, how sweet! Don't worry, this is not the end of the story. This is just the end of Part I, which is the story of how they got together. There's plenty more to come! I've decided to take a break from my other stories, including You, Me, and Our Family so I can write this one. After all, I've kept you guys waiting for this story _way_ too long. **

**This chapter is dedicated to kathyt222 for leaving me an amazing review, JennySaysHa, musicalfreak, and SmileyMiley for being great friends, and HSMCaga15 for giving me the idea of them forgiving each other! **

**Remember, _all _of you will get a shout-out! **

**Troy Is My Boy**

**Remember… "No one know if shooting stars will land." **


	8. Part II: Intro

"It sure is lonely without Gabriella," Kelsi muttered quietly. "This sucks!"

"Why, because you miss her?" asked Jason.

"No, because I made a bet with a cheerleader that Troy and Gabriella would be named Spring King and Queen."

Taylor nodded, "So did I, I wonder what she's doing right now. She's probably alone in her room, crying."

"Hi Taylor!" squealed Gabriella.

Taylor gasped when she saw her best friend wearing a jacket, jeans, and Ugg boots that were drenched in rainwater. "Gabriella, you're here! Why are you all wet?"

"That doesn't matter, I'm here!" she cried cheerfully, opening her arms for a hug. Taylor gladly accepted and squeezed the petite brunette. "Um Taylor, unless you want to get soaked, you should stop." Taylor pulled away and looked down at her dress.

"Oh no, my dress is wet!" she remarked. The chest of her purple gown was now drenched.

"I'll take care of it!" shrieked Chad, aiming a blow dryer and Taylor's chest. "This should do the trick," he explained, blasting the blow dryer.

"Chad, why do you have a blow dryer with you?" questioned Gabriella.

"Silly Gabriella, a guy with _my kind of hair_ always needs a blow dryer at hand." he continued "drying" Taylor's chest while Gabriella was looking at his jungle of hair.

"Uh-huh…right." she muttered.

"Are things okay with you and Troy?" Kelsi asked hopefully.

Gabriella nodded happily, "Yeah, we worked it all out! We decided that it was neither of our faults and it was all Chad!"

"Aw, that's so—hey!" cried Chad, switching off his blow dryer. "Now that you've got everything worked out, is Troy _here_?"

"Wow Troy, your suit is _so hot_!" Sharpay squeaked, placing a finger on his chest.

"Uh, thanks Sharpay. But these are my regular clothes…and they're wet." he informed.

"Oh," she muttered. "Even better! Now, come dance with me!" She dragged him over to the dance floor and started busting moves. "Wow Troy, I never knew you had such _hot_ moves!" she commented, although he wasn't even moving.

"I swear, that girl is trying so hard to get his attention." said Taylor, shaking her head.

"And it looks like it's not working." snickered Chad as they watched Troy trying to escape Sharpay's reach.

"Where are you going?" Sharpay inquired as Troy was about to run over to Chad.

Troy was fuming inside, "Nowhere!" he lied as he reluctantly slouched back to Sharpay.

Sharpay chuckled evilly, "Good. Now let's dance!" She grabbed his hands and started grooving to the song that was playing.

"Sharpay, wouldn't you rather dance with your date? Because I'm kind of here with somebody else."

"Alright, but you know I'll be thinking of you!" she smiled and blew kisses at him. Troy twitched in disgust as he made his way back to his friends.

"She freaks me out." he declared.

"Thanks for the news bulletin." Taylor said sarcastically. She grabbed Chad's hand, "Come on, let's dance." The four remaining friends just stood there until Jason and Kelsi hit the dance floor.

"Um, this is for you." muttered Troy, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a gray, velvet box.

"Is this going to squirt me with water?" Gabriella asked cautiously.

Troy chuckled, "Just open it."

Gabriella followed Troy's instructions and flipped the gray box open. Her face glowed when she pulled out a silver locket. "Troy, it's beautiful! I've always wanted a locket!" she cried, throwing her arms around him.

"I bought it the day I asked you to be my date." Troy explained, placing the locket around her neck. When Troy left to go talk to Chad, Gabriella admired her heart-shaped locket. She opened it to find a picture of her and Troy hugging after the callbacks. On the other side, _Gabriella_ was engraved into the locket. She smiled and shut it closed. She turned it over to the backside and smiled from ear-to-ear as she read the engraving,

"_There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach." _

_-Troy_

"Attention students, attention!" Principal Matsui clapped his hands. "It's time to name our Spring Queen nominees!" He cleared his throat, "Ami Braxton…"

A bunch of students cheered for the popular cheerleader. "This is no surprise, I knew it!" she snorted, making her way on to the platform.

"…Hannah Richards…Sharpay Evans…and Gabriella Montez!" the principal announced.

"What? Me?" Gabriella asked in shock. "But I'm not even wearing a dress!"

"And she's _wet_!" Sharpay hollered from across the room. "She can't be a nominee!"

"Zap your lip Miss Evans and get on the stage!" Principal Matsui snapped. Gabriella couldn't help but laugh when their principal made that remark.

"Now for our Spring King nominees! First off...we have Ken Daniels, Braison Green, Chad Danforth, and…" The crowd waited anxiously. "…Troy Bolton!"

"I knew you would be my king!" Sharpay swooned as Troy got on to the stage.

"Our judges are…Kayla DioGuardi," declared Principal Matsui, pointing to Kayla the cheerleader.

"This is going to be _so_ easy," muttered Ami. "Of course Kayla is going to vote for me! And with her ruling popularity, everyone else will too."

"…Taylor McKessie, Zeke Baylor, Jason Cross, Kelsi Neilson, Christine Mason, Victor Juarez, and of course, your vice principal, Mrs. Hayden, and myself. Shall we? Take it away, judges!" The judges immediately started blabbing away. All the contestants stood nervously on the stage. Gabriella looked uncomfortably at all the eyes staring back at her. She bit her lip and continued to be overtaken by her fear until the judges had come to their decision.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winners!" the principal said over all of the other voices. "This year's Spring King and Queen are…Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, as voted by _all_ of our judges!" A thunderous applause came about the room when the names were called.

"Kayla, I thought you were going to vote for me!" alleged a steaming Ami.

"I'm sorry Ames, Troy and Gabriella are just _so cute_ together!" cried Kayla, trying to defend herself.

"Well, she's not a cheerleader!" Ami countered.

"She doesn't need to be a cheerleader!" yelled Kayla. "I hate being a cheerleader! I'm only doing this for my college application! I quit the squad!" Kayla cried, smashing a chocolate cupcake on to Ami's chest.

Ami hissed, "Oh…no…you…didn't!"

"Meow!" muttered Troy.

Chad nodded his head, "Here comes a cat fight."

Ami picked up a pie from the concession table and threw it in Kayla's face. Startled, Kayla picked up a can of root beer and poured it over Ami's head. "Oh, it's on!" she snarled. Ami grabbed custard and accidentally threw it too far. The dessert landed on an unsuspecting Sharpay. Everyone gasped; they never wanted to get the Ice Princess angry.

"That better be low fat!" Sharpay grumbled as she picked up a slice of pie and threw it across the room. Taylor yelped, it was coming right at her! As soon as it splattered over her expensive dress, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Food fight!" Chad screeched throwing a cupcake to his left. The chocolate dessert landed on top of Gabriella's head. Instead of screaming, Gabriella started laughing. She took it off of her head and aimed it at Troy's face.

"First the hose, now this?" Troy asked, cautiously backing away. "Come on Gabriella, don't—" Troy was interrupted by the cupcake splattering on his face. "Thank you…so much." he mumbled sarcastically.

"You're very welcome!" squealed Gabriella.

--

Gabriella was sleeping peacefully in her lumpy bed. She needed to catch her sleep after a long day, especially when it took her three hours to get chocolate cupcake out of her hair.

Ms. Montez quietly entered the room to check on her daughter. She tiptoed over to Gabriella's bed and placed a soothing hand on her daughter's cheek. She smiled, Gabriella looked so calm and peaceful. "Good night, my angel." Ms. Montez kissed her daughter's angelic cheeks and quietly exited the room. As soon as she left, there was a faint knock on the balcony door. Steadily, the knock got louder and louder.

Gabriella rolled out of bed and felt her way to the door. She felt something furry and stepped on it. "MEOW!" screeched Pumpkin the cat. Gabriella stood up and grabbed a bat. She opened the door. "Get off my balcony you stalker!" she yelled, about to swing her bat.

"Gabriella, it's me!" Troy yelped helplessly, ducking down to save himself from the bat. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Embarrassed, Gabriella dropped the bat. "Sorry," she muttered quietly. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed my Spring Queen," answered Troy, handing Gabriella a bouquet of flowers.

"Thank you, Troy. What are you doing up at…4 in the morning?" she asked him, looking at her watch.

"Um, well, my dad thinks I'm getting ready for basketball when I really have an early morning yoga session." he explained.

"Oh," whispered Gabriella, smiling. "Look, you'd better go before my mom gets suspicious."

"I'll see you later Gabriella," he said as he started leaning in.

Gabriella put her arms around him, "Bye Troy," she said as they hugged.

**A/N: Aw, yay! They're finally together! But of course, no Troyella story is complete without a certain, blonde-haired someone trying to break them up! Tune in next time! **

**This chapter is dedicated to HSMandChelseaFCfan, deathcab4lor, koalagirl07, angeex3, ****xxFRUIT'LOOPSxx33****, Haloangel504, little.miss.sarcasm, x0emz0x, and blueheelers4ever. **

_**No one knows if shooting stars will land**_

_**-Vanessa Hudgens**_

**Actually, someone else sang _Whatever Will Be_ before her, so it's not Vanessa's song! Oh well, who cares? **


	9. Rather Be With You

Gabriella was curled up by the frosty window, looking out to the cloudy scene that lay before her. All that could be heard was the pitter patter of the raindrops splashing against the cold ground. This was supposed to be Spring Break, a time of sunshine and bright colors. Instead, it was a picture of gray with the addition of crisp cold in the air. She sighed and rested her head on the window pane, which felt like ice to her scalp.

"Why are you so sad?" Troy asked, giving her a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

Gabriella's nose met with the aroma of rich chocolate and she immediately smiled brightly. "I'm not sad," she informed. "It's not fair that our Spring Break has to be so…gloomy." she sighed as she continued looking out the window. "I miss the colorful springs of San Diego."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Albuquerque can be very pretty too." Troy informed, opening the other window. The window revealed a dull scene of dark clouds and bleak, leafless trees. "…Sometimes." Troy returned to the couch and plopped down next to Gabriella, who turned on the television. For ten gloomy minutes, the couple watched rich kids with problems overcome their issues. After being thrown over by boredom, Troy reached over for the remote and turned the television off. He scooted closer to Gabriella and started kissing her. He put his arms around her waist while she put hers around his neck.

The knob to the front door twisted and Taylor and Chad entered the room. "Hey lovebirds, cut it out!" Taylor teased, playfully smacking the back of Gabriella's head.

"Hi Taylor," Gabriella greeted, giggling as she pushed Troy to the side.

"Where's your mom?" Taylor asked, scanning the room.

"She's in San Diego on business for the week." explained Gabriella. "I begged her to take me with her but she wouldn't let me go. I want to see San Diego so badly."

"But then you won't get to spend time with me!" cried Troy.

"That's exactly why I wanted to go." she said teasingly. Troy turned to the other side of the couch and pouted like a baby. Quickly, he looked back to see if Gabriella was falling for it.

* * *

"Sharpay, why am I here?" Ryan asked hesitantly, plucking a sequin off of his favorite green hat. 

"You're here because you're helping me devise a plan to break up the man of my dreams…" she paused and sighed dreamily, then fixed an evil look on her face. "…and that braniac girl."

"Zeke and Gabriella are together?" inquired Ryan, throwing his sparkly hat off to the side.

Sharpay scoffed, "No, not Zeke and Gabriella, you idiot! _Troy_ and Gabriella!"

"Oh," he muttered quietly. "Why even bother, Sharpay? You know he's not interested in you."

"What do you mean? The past few days in homeroom he's been all over me. Didn't you see him kissing me?"

"No, _you_ were kissing him. _He_ was holding back in disgust." explained Ryan.

"Whatever Ryan! The point is…I want Troy for myself!" she yelled firmly. "And you are going to help me!"

"But I don't want to help you. I'm always helping you with your evil schemes!"

"Did you just say _no_ to me?" she asked briskly. "I am your sister and you will do what I say!"

Ryan shook his head, "I am your brother and you will let me do what I want!"

Sharpay frowned, "Ryan, please help me! I _need_ Troy!"

"If you _needed_ Troy, why did you hate him when he auditioned for _Twinkle Towne_?" He raised an eyebrow and waited for an informative answer.

"Come on Ry, you know how competitive I get when our lead parts are at stake. Besides, don't you have a crush on little Miss Gabriella?"

"Yeah, but that's not—"

"See, you do! So you'll help me, then?" she flashed her twin brother a puppy dog look.

"Sharpay," Ryan said sternly. He folded his arms and gave a brisk reply, "No."

"Please, Ry? Please? Look at my little face." she cooed in a baby tone. Ryan shut his eyes tightly and plugged his ears.

"I'm not going to fall for it, Shar."

"Please, Ryan? Please? Please? Please?" she begged.

"La, la, la, la, la!" he chanted, trying to drown out Sharpay's pleads. He kept his eyes shut and ears plugged for one more minute until his eyelids struck open.

"I love you, Ry." Sharpay declared sweetly with an innocent smile plastered on her glossy lips.

Ryan sighed, "Fine, Sharpay. I'll help you with your little scheme."

"Okay, back to the plan!" she yelled seriously. Sharpay smiled with a smirk on her face, Ryan actually fell for her sugar and spice act. Thank God for her professional theater training.

* * *

"Okay Ryan, when school resumes on Monday, you will say that you need help with your math homework and I'll help you. That way, Troy can see that I can be smart as well!" Sharpay clenched her hands together and smiled proudly. 

"Are you sure this is going to work, Sharpay? I mean, _I'm_ smarter than you at math."

Sharpay gasped, "Shut up, Ryan! At least I can read! Back to the plan, at exactly 12:05, lunch period, you'll say that you have a load of homework and you're going to get started on your math. You'll open your textbook and pretend to get stumped. Then, I will solve the equation, Troy will see that I'm smart, he'll dump Gabriella for me, we'll get married, and we'll live happily ever after!"

"I don't think it will end up that way if you don't know how to solve the problem in the first place. And besides, if Troy and Gabriella are right there, Gabriella is sure to correct you." explained Ryan.

"Why must you always be so negative? Now, Gabriella knows to steer clear of me. And since Troy probably won't get the equation either, he won't know if it's right or wrong!"

Ryan shook his head and sighed, "Whatever, Sharpay,"

* * *

"Oh man, I have _so much_ homework!" Ryan cried, desperately dropping his heavy textbooks on the lunch table. "I think I'm going to start on my math!" Ryan rummaged through his blue and black book bag and found no math textbook. Sharpay looked at him confusingly. "My math book is still in my locker!" he whispered. 

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "Just go get it!" she snapped. She looked over to the other table to see Troy and Gabriella staring at her. Sharpay shot Gabriella an evil stare and then trained her eyes on Troy. She blew kisses at him and waved. Troy uncomfortably waved back and turned the other way.

"Okay, I'm back!" Ryan cried breathlessly, plopping his heavy book on the unsteady table, which then collapsed. "Oops." he mumbled. Sharpay slapped her head and picked up the textbook.

"Ryan, you're ruining the whole plan!" she scolded, holding a stern finger in front of his face.

"Sorry!" he whimpered helplessly, putting his hands up. "It's your fault for making me your partner in crime!" Sharpay and Ryan then migrated to another table that was right next to Troy and Gabriella's.

"Ryan, didn't you say you wanted to start your math homework?" she asked, squinting evilly at her brother.

Ryan shivered, "Uh…yeah! Let me get my math book out." He flipped open his textbook and immediately recited his next line, "I don't get this!"

"I'll help you," Gabriella offered.

"No!" Sharpay yelled. Her yell caught the attention of the whole cafeteria. She plastered a smile on her face and chuckled, "I mean, no thank you, Gabriella. Let me help my hard-working, loveable, _dumb_ brother." She sat down next to Ryan and took a peek at the page he was on.  
"Oh, this? This is so simple! How can you not get this easy equation?" she asked, expecting an answer from her brother.

"Because I'm…dumb?" replied Ryan.

"Nonsense! The answer is simple! X equals…nine?" she guessed.

"How did you get that?" inquired Ryan.

Sharpay flinched; Ryan wasn't supposed to ask that! How was she supposed to know? "Yeah Sharpay, how did you get that?" asked Gabriella.

She shrugged, "Uh, you know! Um…I added this number to the other one…and then I divided the numerator by the terminator—"

"You mean the _denominator_?" Gabriella corrected.

Sharpay snapped her fingers, "That's exactly what I mean? Yep, that's how I got my answer!" She looked over to shoulder to find Troy walking over to their table. "Yes! Ryan, it's working!" she whispered. Troy looked at the math problem and shook his head.

"Actually, you don't add those numbers. You multiply them together, and then you take your product, multiply it to the fifth power. After that, you divide it by this decimal over here and _then_ you divide this numerator by the denominator. Then, all you have to do is multiply the answer by the area of this figure over there. Then, you end up with fourteen over pi. Get it?" he asked.

"How did you know that?!" asked Sharpay.

Troy shrugged, "Gabriella's been tutoring me." Sharpay stood up from the table and angrily stormed off.

"Sharpay, wait!" hollered Ryan, quickly following his sister.

* * *

"Okay, so Plan A didn't work out as we expected it to. But now, it's time for Plan B." Sharpay pulled her pink sparkly cell phone out of her expensive purse and dialed a number. 

"Who are you calling?" asked Ryan. Sharpay motioned for Ryan to shut up.

"You're on _He Said, She Said_," a voice answered on the other line.

Sharpay faked an English accent, "Hello, is this Troy Bolton?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Uh, hi! My name is…Becca. I am an exchange student from England." she lied.

"Welcome to Albuquerque." said Troy. "What can I help you with?"

"Before I ask you my question, is that…Gabriella Montez there?"

"Actually no, she's using free period to tutor a student. So today, _He Said, She Said _is just…_He Said_."

"You are so funny!" she commented in her real voice. "Oops! I mean, that is so funny!" she replied, back in her English accent. "Anyway, I like this guy, but he is dating someone else."

"Uh-huh,"

"But the thing is, I know he likes me too." she explained.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Troy.

"Yes, I am positive. I don't know what to do. I really want us to be together, but what about the other girl?" she asked.

"Um, this is a tough one. You should set a time to talk with the guy. Talk about your true feelings. You never know, maybe he was just being nice to you since you're new." Troy explained.

"But he _kissed_ me!"

"And he is going out with another girl?" he asked assumingly.

"Yes he is." Sharpay informed him.

"Are you sure that you want to go out with this guy? He seems like a two-timer to me if he's kissing you and dating another girl. Maybe you should look for another guy. I don't think this guy is right for you."

"UGGH!" she cried angrily. "Thank you for your time," she hung up aggressively. "Ryan, this is not working out for me! Why are you making me do this?!"

"Me? _You're_ the one that came up with all of this!"

* * *

"Hey, what happened on today's show?" asked Gabriella. 

"Well, there was a call from an exchange student who for some reason sounded like Sharpay with an English accent. Anyway, she liked this guy who was dating someone else. But she knew that this guy liked her too." explained Troy.

"What did you tell her?"

"She said that the guy kissed her, and I said that she should look for another guy, since that guy seems like a two-timer."

Gabriella chuckled, "Aw, you're being the sweet sensitive guy you always are!"

"Hey Gabriella?" Troy asked.

"Yeah?"

"If you could dump me for a football jock, the smartest guy in the world, or…Orlando Bloom, would you?"

"Hmm… Orlando Bloom…this is a tough one." she joked. "I'd rather be with you." she said kissing his cheek. From the far end of the hallway, Sharpay looked like she was about to burst.

* * *

**A/N: Who here likes the song _Rather Be With You _by our own Baby V? I sure do! Totally random moment here, but I'm so proud of Ashley Tisdale! She co-wrote many of the songs on her album, _Headstrong_! Awesome, I write my own songs too! I've written one for Zac Efron, and I've gotten to sing it for him! Well, two seconds of it! JennySaysHa knows about that! Hopefully Vanessa will be involved in the writing process with her next album! **

**This chapter is dedicated to ****XoXbAbYbXoX**** (hence Sharpay's fake name…Becca). Luv ya! **

**One of my best friends…Rianna Dayem, died in a car accident last night. This is also for her. I loved her so much. Her dream was to meet Zac Efron and now she'll never get to do that. I got to meet him and I have an autograph. I'll put it in her coffin and she can rest in peace with it. **

**She was with me from day one; we were both born in Tennessee. She was right next to me when were both made fun of for having southern accents. She was always there for me. Now, my group of six best friends is down to five. I will never be the same. **

**It's amazing how one drunk driver's actions can take away _so much_. **

**-Rest in peace Rianna- **

**Friends Forever: Kayslee, Michelle, Alicia Marie, Brianna, Vanessa, and of course, Rianna. **


	10. Not Like That

"Good morning students, today during third period there will be an assembly covering all the latest happenings at our respected school." Ms. Darbus announced, posing for dramatic effect. "So, instead of meeting at your third period class, pleas report to the auditorium."

"I wonder what the assembly is about. Is another dance coming up?" Zeke asked quietly as Ms. Darbus continued babbling.

"I doubt it, Zeke. Why would we have another dance when we just had one last week?" replied Gabriella, twirling a streak of her hair.

"Good point," Zeke muttered as he was leaning back in his chair.

"Hey, maybe auditions for the spring musical are underway!" Taylor chimed. "I was thinking about auditioning for a supporting role,"

In the front of the room, Sharpay's sensitive ears buzzed in reaction. "Ryan!" she whispered as she turned to face her brother. "I just heard Taylor say that she was going to audition for a part in our musical!"

"So what?" Ryan asked, uninterested. "Let her audition and leave her alone."

Sharpay spat, "Ry, do you know me _at all_?"

"Sharpay, she's not even auditioning for a lead role! Are _you_ thinking of auditioning for a…" Ryan could hardly get the words out, "…supporting role?"

His sister shrugged at the sound of it. "Of course not, Ryan! I wouldn't dream of it! Sharpay Evans will always be the _star_!"

"Then why are you so upset?" inquired Ryan.

Sharpay sighed, "Because, if Taylor got into the musical, it wouldn't be a musical. It would be a showcase of geeks, basketball stars, and all those other cliques…including us. A musical production is an artistic expression of talent, passion, and creative energy. Only true, talented, and _experienced_ actors should have the right to perform in such an art."

In the back of the room, Troy, Gabriella, and their friends continued discussing Taylor's plans. "I think that's great, Taylor," Gabriella commented. "It's fun to try something new."

"I'm only _thinking_ about it," Taylor explained. "Are you going to audition, Gabriella?"

Gabriella shrugged, "Probably not. I don't want to run against Sharpay again. Yikes!" she sputtered. "If I were to audition, I would probably go for a supporting role."

"Good job, Gabriella," Sharpay mumbled. "Good job,"

* * *

"Students, may I please have your undivided attention?" The principal clapped his hands and waited for silence. As soon as silence fell through the stretchy room, the principal continued his speech. "Thank you, in two weeks, our school will be holding East High's annual talent show!" The students' silence roared into emerging side chatter.

"Ryan, this is perfect, another chance to showcase our talents!" Sharpay sighed dreamily.

"Yeah, a talent show! I'm thinking of showing off my new salsa number. You know, the one with the fast pirouettes and the—" Ryan was interrupted by his sister.

"No, we're going to do a musical skit!" she exclaimed.

"But Sharpay, we're always doing musical stuff. Can't we try something new? I mean, you can sing a song, and I can do my dance routine."

"But this way, Ms. Darbus will see that we have the talent to come out on top again! Let's strut our stuff and show her what we've got!" Sharpay's eyes sparkled.

"Attention, attention!" Principal Matsui hollered. "Sign-ups are today and tomorrow in the guidance counselor's office, and auditions are this Friday during free period and after school."

"Oh, I might sign up!" Chad piped up. "I stop by the counselor's office everyday anyway."

Troy squinted, "Why do you go to the guidance counselor?"

Chad stammered, "Uh…well…I-I have problems." he answered. Zeke and Jason snickered. "Dude, shut up!" Chad demanded as he smacked Jason's head.

"Taylor, are you going to enter the talent show?" Gabriella asked curiously.

"Hmm, maybe. I may showcase my skill of algebra in Latin." explained Taylor.

"Boring!" Chad yelled.

"Why don't you sing? I mean, remember Battle of the Bands last month? When you were in Sharpay's group _Sharpay and the Sharpettes_? You were great!" Gabriella informed.

"That was fun," Taylor admitted. "I'll consider it."

"I'm thinking about being a judge, since there can be two student judges." Troy told his friends.

"Are any students interested in being our two student judges?" the principal asked.

Troy raised his hand and grabbed Gabriella's. "We are!" he cried, waving Gabriella's arm in the air.

"Who says I want to be a judge?" Gabriella was struggling to bring her arm out of Troy's strong grip.

"I said that," Troy replied as he continued waving their hands.

"Alright, Mr. Bolton and Miss Montez are our two student judges." Principal Matsui announced. The principal kept babbling on until the third period end bell rang.

"Oh yeah, no English!" Chad whooped, pumping his fists. The majority of students followed and howled in excitement. It was break, so Troy grabbed Gabriella's hand and led her to the quad.

"Troy, why do I have to be a judge with you?" complained Gabriella.

"Come on Gabriella, what could be more fun than judging a talent show with _me_?"

Gabriella put a finger to her chin, "Hmm, everything."

Troy frowned, "If you do it with me I'll become the best boyfriend ever!" he squealed.

"You can't become the best boyfriend ever," Gabriella corrected.

"Why not?"

Gabriella blushed, "Because you already are," she declared, pulling him in for a kiss.

"Ryan, we have to do something!" shrieked Sharpay.

* * *

"I know what to do for the talent show!" Chad stated cheerfully.

"What do you have planned?" asked Zeke.

"I'm going to sing a duet with Taylor!" replied Chad.

"Uh, that sounds nice." Troy lied. "It could be…interesting,"

"Are you kidding? That's going to be hilarious!" Jason fell out of his chair, laughing.

"I'm going to _have_ to see that," Zeke agreed. "Can you even sing Chad?"

Chad pouted, "Of course I can sing!" He cleared his throat and started singing, "Even when I'm not giving enough, and I'm taking too much, you're still there for MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" he screeched.

"My ears are bleeding!" cried Zeke, rubbing his ears.

"Troy, make it stop!" yelled Jason.

"Chad, I think that's enough." Troy said, patting his friend on the back.

"So, what do you think?" Chad asked, waiting for comments.

"I thought it was very good," Jason commented, "until the MEEEEEEEEEEE part."

Zeke sniggered, "I have to agree."

"Oh," Chad frowned. "And you, Troy? What did you think?"

"Uh," Troy stuttered. "I-I like it."

Chad stuck out his bottom lip, "Really?"

"To tell the truth, dude, you sucked." explained Troy. "The first part was pretty good, until the—"

"MEEEEEEEEEE!" Zeke finished. He and Jason started laughing as they high-fived each other.

"Troy is your cat dying?" Gabriella asked as she and Taylor entered through the front door.

"Fluffy's dying?" Chad whimpered. "Troy, how come you never told me?"

Troy slapped his mop headed friend, "Fluffy isn't dying! Isn't that right Fluffers?" Troy asked in a baby tone, picking up his fussy cat.

"Meow," Fluffy replied.

"See, she's as happy as ever!" he cried, holding Fluffy up so everyone could see her grumpy face.

Jason scoffed, "Can we get back to Chad's singing?"

"Chad can sing?" asked Gabriella.

"No, he can impersonate a dying cat," Zeke informed her.

"Oh," Gabriella muttered. "Chad, are you going to sing for the talent show?"

"I was planning on singing a duet with Taylor," said Chad.

"What?!" gasped Taylor. "Chad, I am _not_ going to risk public humiliation by your desperate vocal chords!"

"Hey, I can sing! I just have problems on the high notes, that's all."

"I'm sure we can fix that," mumbled Gabriella. "Let's hear you sing."

Chad cleared his throat and began vocalizing, "Even when I'm not giving enough, and I'm taking too much, you're still there for—"

"Wait!" Troy hollered. Chad huffed and tapped his foot impatiently. Troy ran to the kitchen and pulled open a drawer. He pulled out a pair of ear plugs. He ran back to Gabriella and plopped them in her ears.

"What are these for?" she asked loudly.

"You'll see!" screamed Troy. "Chad," he said, turning to his friend. "Continue,"

"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!" he yodeled.

"Ow!" Taylor puffed, plugging her ears.

"How does it sound? Is it bad?" Gabriella yelled. "Sing again, Chad!" she demanded, taking out her ear plugs. As soon as she heard the first note of Chad's screech she plugged her ears immediately. This time, the screech was higher and squeakier.

"Chad, you killed Fluffy!" Jason sobbed, pointing to the cat.

"She's not dead," Troy remarked. "She's just in shock. Look at her," he ordered, holding up his feline friend. Fluffy looked horrified.

"Maybe you should try a different song," Gabriella suggested. "How about this one? It's called 'Let's Dance' or something like that. It's by this Vanessa Hudgens girl or whatever her name is."

"Oh, I love that song!" Chad squealed. "It's so hot, I can't stop, the music fills the room. Vibration, sensation, that beat goes BOOM BOOM BOOM!" he belted out.

"Okay, maybe that song isn't right for you." Gabriella commented. "Are you sure you want to sing in the talent show?" she asked him.

Chad scoffed, "It's not like I have any other talents,"

"Um Chad, you're on the basketball team," Troy informed him. "Why don't you try a basketball routine?"

"Troy, that's perfect!" Chad praised his friend. "Hey guys, do you want to do it with me?" he asked Zeke and Jason.

"Sure, why not?" said Jason.

"Yeah, I'll do it." Zeke added. "Who knows, it might even woo Sharpay so she can be my snuggly-buggly boo!" he swooned. "What?" he asked as everyone glared at him.

"I'll pretend that never happened," Jason shuddered. "Yuck!"

* * *

"How do you think the guys will do with their basketball routine?" Gabriella asked Taylor, who was sleeping over at her house.

"Hmm," she pondered. "I don't know. Don't get me wrong, but I don't think it will go so well."

Gabriella laughed, "I'm totally with you babe," she agreed.

"Hey Gabriella, do you have any all-natural and low-sodium pomegranate blueberry juice?" inquired Taylor.

"Why?" Gabriella asked cautiously.

"Well, my doctor recommended that I drink that. At first I hate it but now I'm totally hooked on it." Taylor explained.

"Okay," Gabriella mumbled quietly. "I'll be right back."

"Please and thank you!" Taylor hollered as Gabriella headed down the stairs.

"Why in the world did Taylor's doctor recommend pomegranate blueberry juice? It is one of her medical needs? Hmm, pomegranate does prevent cancer. Oh my God, is Taylor at a high risk of being diagnosed with cancer?" she asked herself.

"Why do you ask so many questions? Do you always talk to yourself?" Troy asked, appearing behind the counter.

Gabriella threw the plastic juice bottle in fear but Troy quickly dodged it. "Troy, how did you get in here?" she asked.

"Same way I always do, your balcony." he answered as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Gabriella smiled, "We have a front door, you know." she told him.

Troy sighed, "Yeah, but my way is more fun. I get to climb a tree. By the way, that tree has a loose branch. I fell down and got a boo boo." he whimpered.

"A boo boo?" Gabriella laughed. "What appropriate language for the most popular guy in school. Where's your boo boo?"

"On my knee," Troy sniffled and pretended to wipe his imaginary tears.

"Aw, poor baby," Gabriella joked as she quickly kissed his "boo boo."

"It's all better now," Troy teased as he continued wiping his "tears."

"Hey Troy, since you asked me a question, can I ask you one?" she questioned.

"Sure," he replied. "Go for it,"

"If you could dump me the greatest girl basketball player, a popular cheerleader, or…dare I say it…Sharpay, would you do it?" she asked him.

Troy laughed, "Gabriella," he said, putting his arms around her tiny waist. "I'm not like that."

"Good," Gabriella smiled and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Gabriella! Where's my juice?" yelled Taylor.

* * *

**A/N: Ha ha, Taylor! Hey, have you guys read the awesome PopStar magazine blog?! Zanessa is real! Yes! But I'm still waiting for actual words coming from Zac or Vanessa's mouth. But PopStar promises to have that in the July issue. Yay! Anyways, review!**


	11. Drive

"Gabriella, wake up honey," Ms. Montez whispered soothingly.

"Five more minutes," moaned Gabriella, pulling her blanket over her head.

Ms. Montez chuckled, "It's your birthday, sweetheart. Don't you want to get up bright and early?" At that, Gabriella rushed to get out of bed and ran to the bathroom.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Gabriella!" cheered Taylor, presenting her friend with a small box. 

Gabriella smiled, "You didn't have to get me anything."

"Okay, I'll take it back," Taylor teased.

"Give it to me!" Gabriella squealed. She ripped off the pink-colored wrapping paper and opened a small, cardboard box, revealing a snow globe with two girls inside of it. It was engraved with, _'Taylor and Gabriella, Best Friends for Life.'_

"Do you like it?" asked Taylor, excitedly.

Gabriella nodded, "I love it, Tay! Thank you so much!" she cried, giving her best friend a meaningful hug. "I can just see it, today is going to be the best day of my life!"

* * *

"This is the worst day of my life!" Gabriella yelled. 

"Why? Just because our radio show won't air for another two weeks?" asked Troy, putting an arm around her.

Gabriella rested her head on his shoulder as they continued walking, "Not just that, it also has to do with the fact that I accidentally tore up my calculus homework!" she yelled.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." said Troy.

"Yes it can! Ms. Darbus is making me paint three sets of props for the spring musical after school just because I wasn't looking straight in her eyes when she was announcing that her 55th birthday was coming up!" she whined.

"Ms. Darbus is turning fifty-five? I thought she was like, seventy." mumbled Troy.

"So far, I have six hours worth of homework, on my special day!" she whimpered. "At least you remembered my special day, right Troy?"

"Uh…yeah!" he said hesitantly.

"Well, did you have any plans for us tonight?" she asked him.

"Ummmmmmm, no." he mumbled.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but did you at least get me anything?"

"Uh, not yet, what do you want?" he asked.

Gabriella looked heartbroken, "It's nothing,"

"Does she think you forgot her birthday? Is our plan working?" Chad asked his buddy when Gabriella was out of sight.

"Like a charm," answered Troy as the two boys high-fived each other. "Remember Chad; keep your mouth shut,"

"Aye, captain!" squeaked Chad.

* * *

"Are you ready, Gabs?" asked Taylor. "Are you done painting?" 

Gabriella brushed a hand over her forehead and took off her gloves. "Taylor, you actually waited for me?" she asked in surprise.

"Of course, you're my best friend! So, I heard you were having troubles with Troy this afternoon." explained Taylor, although she was part of the plan. Her job was to keep Gabriella busy until Troy was ready.

"Yeah, I can't believe he forgot my birthday! As if my day wasn't rough enough already," Gabriella sighed.

"Are you done with your homework?" asked Taylor.

"I did most of it at lunch and during free period, so all I have left is reading two chapters of _War and Peace_. But I've already read it sixteen times," informed Gabriella.

"Do you want to get some frappuccinos from Starbucks?" Taylor suggested.

Gabriella pouted, "Sure, after the horrible day I've had, I'm up for anything."

Fifteen minutes later, Taylor and Gabriella were sipping away with their double chocolate chip blended crèmes. "Taylor, can you sleep over? I'm really not in the mood to be by myself tonight." said Gabriella, as she and Taylor pulled out their bus passes.

"I hate taking the bus," muttered Taylor as they stepped into the dirty vehicle.

"So do I," Gabriella agreed. "But Mom's using the car today so the bus is our only option. I can't wait until I get my own car, what's the point of having a driver's license when I don't even have a car to drive! I wish Troy were here with his fancy sports car."

"Ick," Taylor puffed as she pricked a piece of gum out of the bottom of her seat.

"When will Mom see that I'm old enough to maintain my own car? I'm seventeen today! When I was younger, my dad promised he would get me a car on my sixteenth birthday. Mom would always disagree, but Dad still kept his promise. Since his death, Mom never brought up the subject again." Gabriella told Taylor. "You're going to be in the talent show, right?"

Taylor nodded, "Yes, I'm going to sing 'I Will Survive.' And are you still judging?"

Gabriella huffed, "I don't know. Maybe Troy forgot since he also forgot my birthday."

"You know how boys are, always forgetting about their girl's special day. Maybe he just had a lot on his mind," said Taylor, trying to defend Troy.

"Come on Taylor, if he really knew me, he wouldn't forget my birthday." Gabriella rested her head on the window pane.

"You're really having doubts, aren't you?" Taylor questioned.

Gabriella nodded. "You know Troy means a lot to me. It's just, if he can't even remember my birthday, when I told him a thousand times how excited I was _yesterday_…" Gabriella paused. "I don't know,"

"You're not thinking about breaking up with him, are you?" Taylor asked worriedly, although she was certain Gabriella would change her mind after seeing what Troy had planned for her.

"I don't want to, Taylor. Let's just see what happens."

* * *

"Chad Danforth, reporting for duty!" yelled Chad. 

"What are you doing?" asked Troy.

"You called me and told me to meet you here immediately. I was fast, huh?" inquired Chad.

"Chad, I called you two hours ago." explained Troy. "Anyway, now that you're here, I need you to call Gabriella's mom."

"Why?"

"To tell her that everything's ready," said Troy.

Chad pulled out his cell phone and dialed Ms. Montez's number. "I've got her on speed dial," Chad winked.

"Why?" asked Troy. "You know what? I don't want to know,"

"Hello?" Ms. Montez answered on the other line.

"Hi Ms. Montez, it's Chad Danforth."

"Oh, hi Chad! Is everything ready?" asked Ms. Montez.

"Yep, Troy told me to call you. Everything's set," he explained.

"That's great Chad. Thank you so much. Now all we have to do is wait for Gabriella to get home, she should be here soon." Ms. Montez informed him.

"Okey dokey, ma'am! Just make sure to call Troy when Gabriella comes home," said Chad.

"I will," Ms. Montez reassured him as she hung up.

"Today was the worst day of my life!" cried Gabriella, moping into the house.

"Oh honey, what's wrong?" asked Ms. Montez, kissing her daughter's forehead.

"Well, I accidentally tore up my calculus homework, Ms. Darbus made me stay after school to paint, and Troy forgot my birthday!" she sobbed.

"Oh Gabriella, I'm sure he didn't mean to! It must've just slipped his mind, that's all! Boys are always like that!"

Gabriella shook her head, "Not Troy, he's different," she dropped her book bag and collapsed on to the couch.

"Taylor, keep her busy, I need to call Troy." Ms. Montez whispered.

"Okay," Taylor winked and made her way to the couch. "So, any plans for tonight?" she asked her.

"I don't think so. I was hoping Troy had something planned for me, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen." Gabriella sighed and twirled a lock of her hair.

"Well, let's watch some TV." Taylor grabbed the remote control and turned on the television. It was set to MTV, and _My Super Sweet Sixteen_ was on.

Gabriella winced and buried her head in her pillow. "Change it, Taylor!" she demanded.

"I am, I am!" cried Taylor, switching to another station.

"Oh Rodney, I knew you would never forget my birthday!" a girl cried on TV.

"Samantha, I would never do that!" exclaimed Rodney.

"Okay, no more TV." Taylor quickly turned the set off. "What do you want to do now?"

"Gabriella, Troy wants you to meet him at the park." informed Ms. Montez.

"So _now_ he remembers my birthday?" she asked reluctantly.

"Sweetheart, just go!" her mother ordered.

"Can I take the car?" Gabriella asked.

"No, you're going to walk." her mother refused.

"But Mom, that's too far!" Gabriella ejaculated.

"It's good exercise! If you leave now, you'll get there faster!" Ms. Montez exclaimed. Gabriella grabbed Taylor's arm and sadly pulled Taylor outside.

"This is really the worst day ever," she grumbled.

"Who knows? Troy could have something really special for you!" Taylor assumed. After five minutes of walking, Taylor checked her watch. "Chad should be here any second," she muttered.

"Hey girls, need a ride?" asked Chad, pulling up in his car.

"Yeah, can you get us to Albuquerque Oaks?" asked Gabriella.

"Sure, hop in!" replied Chad. "Buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride!" As soon as the girls were strapped in, Chad started racing to the park.

"Ch-Chad, why are we going so f-fast?" Taylor could hardly get her words out.

"Because we're behind schedule!" yelled Chad.

"Behind schedule for w-what?" asked Gabriella.

"Oh, Chad's just going to be late for…ballet!" Taylor lied.

"So Troy takes yoga and Chad takes ballet? You guys are strange," commented Gabriella.

"Okay, here we are! Albuquerque Oaks! Now hurry up and get out, I'm going to be late for…ballet." he winked at Taylor.

Taylor rolled her eyes, "Just leave!" She then turned to Gabriella, "I'm going to take a walk." she informed her.

"Where are you going to go?" asked Gabriella.

"Way over there!" Taylor explained as she started running away.

"Taylor! Don't leave me here!" Gabriella cried helplessly. She turned around and saw Troy playing around on the swings. "What are you doing?" she asked as she approached him.

"Swinging," he answered, not even looking at her.

"So why'd you call? Why am I here?"

"Because I'm lonely. I need someone to play with," he responded.

Gabriella sighed, "That's why you want me here? To play with you? Troy, I don't think I can take this any longer! I really thought you cared about me! I guess I was wrong since you forgot my—" Gabriella was stopped when Troy's lips were pressed on her. "One kiss won't make up for it," she told him.

"I know," he replied. "But that might," he said, turning her around.

"What are you—" she paused when she saw a black Mercedes parked in front of her. "How will somebody else's car cheer me up? Especially when it's my dream car?" she looked in the window to see the keys in the key jack. "And who is stupid enough to leave the windows rolled down and the keys in the key jack? You could easily steal them."

"Take the key jack." Troy ordered.

"Now you want me to steal?" asked Gabriella.

"Just take it," he said again. She sighed and grabbed it. "What's the point of taking it? Why are you even—" she paused when she read the engraving on a silver tag. It read:

_To Gabriella, _

_From Troy_

"I am an idiot," she muttered slowly.

"Happy birthday!" Troy yelled.

"Wow!" she screamed as she started jumping up and down. "I knew you wouldn't forget my birthday, it's just not like you! And now I have my own car! Even better, my dream car! How'd you get it? These things are expensive!"

"My grandpa owns the dealer two blocks away. He's been urging me to take this car. But since I already have a car, I thought I'd give it to you. And since my grandpa owns the dealer, I got a discount! I only had to pay…three thousand dollars." he explained.

"Wow Troy, this is the best present I've ever received in my whole entire life! I finally have a car! Wait till Sharpay sees this! This beats the heck out of her beetle!" she squealed.

Troy frowned, he had never heard Gabriella talk like that. "Do you like it?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Like it? I _love_ it!" Gabriella answered, as she hugged him tightly.

_Good job,_ Troy thought. _You sure know how to make your woman happy._


	12. Let's Dance

"Gabriella, you are _so_ lucky." Taylor muttered. "You get a brand new car for your seventeenth birthday. My dad's getting me a used car when I turn _eighteen_."

Gabriella chuckled softly, "Don't worry, Taylor. I'll let you drive my car someday."

"Seriously? Gabby, you're the best!" Taylor squealed. "Can I take it for a spin?" she asked excitedly.

Gabriella pulled the keys away, "Hey, hey. I said _someday_." she giggled. "Now Taylor, I promise you can drive it. But not now, Troy Junior is still a baby."

Taylor laughed, "Troy Junior? Are you kidding me, Gabs? You named your car?"

Gabriella nodded meekly, "Yes."

Taylor shook her head, "So, talent show auditions are today," she reminded Gabriella. "You'll be there, right? If I am correct, you and Troy will be judging?"

"Yeah, I'm so excited. I can't wait to see what different varieties of talent East High has to offer."

--

Troy played with a pencil as he and Gabriella were listening to a phone call. "Well, I really like him." A girl named Sam said. "My friend said I was too afraid to ask him out, but I said 'No I'm not.' and she said 'Yes, you are.' and I said 'No I'm not,' and she said 'Yes, you are.' and I said—"

"Okay, I get it!" Trot exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "So, let me get this straight. You want to go out with him, but you're waiting for him to make the first move?"

"Exactly right," replied Sam.

"Alright," said Gabriella. "How does this boy act around you?"

"He smiles when he sees me, and he's always nervous when I talk to him." explained Sam.

"Chances are, this boy likes you. Maybe spend some more time with him and see how that goes. If that works out, wait a few days. If nothing happens, he's probably just shy as well. Don't be afraid to make the first move." advised Gabriella.

"One more thing," Sam added. "He's popular, I'm not. What should I do?"

Gabriella smiled as she looked at Troy, "Don't let that get in the way. If you both like each other, everything should fall into place."

"Great!" Sam squealed. "Thank you so much!" she said as she hung up.

"You handled the clique situation really well," Troy complimented Gabriella.

She giggled as her hand interlinked with his, "What can I say? I have a _lot_ of experience with that."

--

Principal Matsui, Mrs. Darbus, Troy, and Gabriella were all gathered in the auditorium for the talent show auditions. The principal turned to Troy and Gabriella, "Okay guys, pay close attention. You should be looking for raw talent, passion, and effort. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." answered Gabriella.

"Perfect!" squeaked Principal. "Let's bring out our first student."

Mrs. Darbus looked down at her clipboard and cleared her throat, "Sarah Mills? Take the stage, please."

A petite, brown-haired girl in a blue tutu slowly entered from the side of the stage. "Hello, I'm Sarah." she said nervously. "For my audition, I will do my signature baton twirling."

Principal Matsui nodded, "You may begin, Sarah."

"5, 6, 7, 8!" Sarah cheered as patriotic music began to play. Sarah marched around the stage twirling her baton and occasionally throwing it in the air. She jumped and spinned and danced around the stage. Sarah threw her baton up one more time. But this time, the baton hit a light and caused the bulb to shatter across the stage.

Principal Matsui frowned, "Thank you, Sarah. We'll get back to you." Sarah nodded and exited stage left.

Gabriella nudged Troy as he was laughing, "Be nice, Troy."

"Next, Sierra Denton!" Mrs. Darbus called.

A perky red-haired girl skipped onto the stage. "Hi!" she said energetically.

Mrs. Darbus smiled, "Hello. And what will you be doing for us today?"

"I will be singing one of my favorite songs." Sienna informed. She cleared her throat and her sweet toned voice filled throughout the auditorium.

_This could be the _

_Start of something new_

_It feels so right_

_To be here with you, oh_

Troy took hold of Gabriella's hand and started to stroke her hand with his thumb. "Remember this song?"

She giggled, "How can I forget it?"

_And now looking in your eyes_

_I feel in my heart_

_The start of something new_

Sienna curtsied and waited for the judges comments. Troy stood up, "Bravo!"

"Brava," Mrs. Darbus corrected him. "Very good, Sienna! That's exactly what we're looking for! We will most definitely get back to you, dear. You are excused."

Gabriella turned to the principal, "What did you think of Sienna, Mr. Matsui?"

"Amazing. Simply amazing. Next, Sharpay and Ryan Evans!" Principal Matsui hollered.

Mrs. Darbus smiled and applauded as Sharpay flounced onto the stage in a silky blue evening dress. "Ryan!" she exclaimed, impatiently. Ryan hurried onto the stage wearing a long-sleeve button up shirt, khaki pants, and his favorite green sparkly hat. She snapped her fingers, "Cue the music!" All of a sudden, a light, upbeat showtune echoed throughout the room. Sharpay began to sing:

_Rhinestones and sparkles,_

_Diamonds and stars,_

_Glitter and pink,_

_It's all so unique!_

Ryan danced around the stage in a jazz square formation. "Jazz hands!" he squealed as he flashed Mrs. Darbus a smile. Sharpay twirled around the stage, with high kicks and pirouettes in her silver high heels.

_A new tennis bracelet,_

_A solid gold watch,_

_A sparkling boutique,_

_And it's all for me!_

She continued her song with more kicks and turns with a few jumps every now and then. She finished as she stood under the spotlight. Sharpay tossed her hair and pushed Ryan out of the way to make her way to the front of the stage.

Mrs. Darbus applauded heartily, "Fabulous, Sharpay! Absolutely fabulous!"

Sharpay grinned, "I know!" She eyed Troy, "What did you think, Troy?"

"Um, it was very…sparkly." Troy answered, speechless. He thought Sharpay pushed everything over the limit.

Sharpay giggled sweetly, "I knew you'd like it!" She battered her eyelashes which were disguised in mascara. Her eyelids were primped with smokey gold eyeshadow. She patted the ends of her blond curls and glided off the stage.

Principal Matsui turned to Mrs. Darbus, "Sharpay and Ryan are definitely in the show."

"Like that's a surprise," Troy snickered. Gabriella slapped him playfully. "Ow!" he scowled.

Sharpay squealed from behind the stage curtain, "Ryan, did you hear that?"

Ryan was confused, "Ow?" he guessed, repeating what Troy had just said.

Sharpay shook her head, "No, you idiot! He thinks I'm talented! He wasn't surprised to find out that you and I will be in the show. My plan is working!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Ryan interrupted. "He didn't sound too…excited."

"Still, Ryan, he knew I would make it in anyway."

"How do you know he wasn't talking about me? Maybe he was talking about me." suggested her brother.

"Get real, baby brother." Sharpay scoffed. "My plan is working. Slowly…but surely." She smiled deviously. Ryan frowned, this wasn't going to be good.

"Next up, Chad Danforth!" Mrs. Darbus announced.

"Yo," Chad said as he entered stage right. "Well, I'm Chad. Mr. Matsui, I'm sure you've seen me play. Hey Darbus, you know me. We go way back to my first day of detention." He shrugged, "Anyway, I haven't really prepared anything for my audition."

"Mr. Danforth," Mrs. Darbus began, "To make it show business you must always be prepared. If you have nothing ready we'll have to skip you."

Chad rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, stop blabbering." He paused for a second, then grinned. "I will be a reciting an original poem."

Principal Matsui smiled, "How refreshing."

Chad nodded, and began to recite, "Roses are red, violets are blue, the sun is hot, and so are you!" he said, pointing to Taylor who was hidden behind the curtain. She shook her head in disappointed.

Troy frowned, "Chad, maybe poetry isn't your thing."

Gabriella nodded, "Hm, maybe you could try reciting a poem that's not yours. What's your favorite poem?"

Chad shrugged, "How am I supposed to know? I don't read."

"Chad, why don't you dance? You love moving to hip hop music." Troy suggested.

"That's perfect!" Chad beamed with a smile on his face. "Yo, Tom, can I get a beat?" Tom, a skinny boy with glasses nodded and pushed a button on a large stereo. Chad started to move with a blended hip hop beat.

Principal Matsui watched in satisfaction, "Very nice." he muttered to Mrs. Darbus.

"I must say, I never suspected such talent in Mr. Danforth. With all the times he's been in detention, who knew?" Mrs. Darbus said.

Chad started to rap, and stomp around the stage. He finished his audition by throwing a basketball in the air and catching it. "So, how was it?" Chad asked eagerly.

"That was groovy, man! So totally awesome and…hip, yo! How…funky fresh!" Mrs. Darbus chimed, trying to sound cool.

Chad snickered, "I think that's a good thing." He eyed the principal.

"Well, Chad. You've taken entertainment at East High to a whole new level. We will most definiely get back to you." the principal said with admiration.

"Awesome!" cried Chad. "Thanks!" He stepped off the stage, feeling proud. Troy flashed him a quick thumbs up.

There were many good, and not-so-good auditions that followed Chad's act. There was Makenna Green, who performed her ballet routine. There was also Kyle Hardsworth, who demonstrated a card trick. Delilah Hathaway and Jenna Rosenbush finished the talent streak with a cheer they learned from cheer camp. After that, the rest of the auditions didn't go as smooth as planned. Carmen Geiser attempted to showcase her cartwheels and backflips but accidentally knocked over a mirror, causing it to shatter on the floor. Ted Burwick tried to perform his break dancing routine but his shoe ended up flying off the stage and smacking Principal Matsui in the head.

Gabriella started to shake Troy, "Wake up!" she snapped. "It's rude to sleep when people are performing! It tells them that you're not interested."

"Well, I'm not." Troy shot back as he yawned.

"Last, but not least, Miss Taylor McKessie!" Mrs. Darbus shouted.

Taylor made her way onto the stage and smiled at the teachers, "Good afternoon." she said simply.

The principal smiled, "Hello. What have you prepared for us, Miss McKessie?"

Taylor cleared her throat, "Well, for my audition I will be singing a song about algebra."

Mrs. Darbus raised an eyebrow, "That sounds very unique. I look forward to seeing where this is headed. You may begin."

Taylor started with a melody about prime numbers and exponents, with a chorus about variables and square roots. She ended in a high note about multiplication property of equality.

Gabriella smiled and stood up, "I loved it! What do you think, Troy?"

"It was awesome. I have no idea what the song is about, but I thought it was amazing!" answered Troy.

Taylor smiled earnestly, "You really think so? I was that good?"

"More than good," said Gabriella. "You were great."

"I agree with you on that, Miss Montez." Mrs. Darbus interrupted. "Why Taylor, I never knew you had such vocal talent. Brava!"

"I must say, the best I've seen all day." admitted the principal. "Great job, Miss McKessie. Check the bulletin tomorrow to see if you made it in. Although I don't think you should be worrying about that."

Taylor squealed, "Oh, thank you so much!"

Sharpay gasped as she continued spying from behind the curtain. "Taylor McKessie? The best that Mr. Matsui has seen all day? How can he say that?!"

"Well, she was really good. I've got to say, I never knew Taylor had it in her." said Ryan.

"Oh, zip your mouth." Sharpay scowled. "This is my show, and I'm not letting _another_ braniac steal my spotlight."

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Extreme writer's block is always the case. Anyway, this chapter wasn't my best work, so I understand if you don't like it. Please review, no flames! Also, if you're and Ashley Tisdale fan, please join my Ashley Tisdale forum, Tizzalicious! The link is in my profile.**

**--Kayslee **

**(Troy Is My Boy)**


	13. Over It

"A sparkling boutique, and it's all for me!" Troy sang to himself. He stopped when he realized he was singing the song Sharpay had sung the afternoon before. He shuddered, and then continued walking on to his locker. He opened his locker to find Ben Harrick, a freshman, inside. "What the heck? Ben? Why are you inside my locker?"

Ben shrugged, "Hey Troy. Well, Chad shoved me in here when I laughed at him."

"Why were you laughing at him?" Troy questioned.

"Mrs. Darbus put up the results for the talent show auditions today, and when I saw him on the list, I ran up to him and laughed." explained Ben.

Troy sighed, "You know better than to laugh at Chad." He motioned for Ben to step out of his locker. "I'll see you later, buddy." Troy got his books and slammed the locker shut. He went on to look for Chad. Five minutes later, he gave up and decided to go to the library and study. He dropped his book onto a nearby table and flipped the book open.

"Hey," a familiar voice said.

Troy looked up to see Gabriella, who was pulling out a chair next to him. "Hey," he said smiling, as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Have you seen Chad?"

Gabriella pointed across the room, "Over there."

Troy squinted. Why in the world was Chad in the _library_? He got up and walked over to his friend, "Now this is the last place I'd expect to find you. What are you doing here?"

"Hiding," answered Chad. "Shhh, don't let the team know I'm in here."

"Hey Chad!" Zeke hollered from the other side of a shelf.

"Mr. Baylor, quiet!" Ms. Falstaff, the librarian, snapped.

"Oh great," Chad muttered. "Zeke's here."

"What's up?" Zeke whispered as he neared the two.

Troy bit his lip, "Zeke, I think it's best that you leave. Chad and I need some…one-on-one time, you know?"

Zeke nodded, "Oh! Sure, sure. I was on my way to the home ec lab anyway to bake some cookies for extra credit. I'll see you later!" He glided out of the library.

"Dude, why are you hiding?" asked Troy. "And why did you shove little Ben Harrick in my locker? He crumpled my favorite picture of Gabriella."

Chad sighed heavily, "I was embarrassed. He laughed at me for going out for the talent show."

Troy couldn't help but chuckle, "That's it? That's why you're hiding?"

"Well…yeah." Chad admitted. "I'm hiding because I don't want people laughing at me for trying something new. You've got my back, right?"

"Of course, man. You're my best friend." said Troy. "But…"

Chad's eyes widened, "But what?"

"…You weren't so supportive of me going out for the winter musical earlier this year, remember?" Troy reminded him.

Chad gulped, "Yeah, and I feel bad about that. Come on, man. I really need your support!" he begged.

Troy rolled his eyes, "You've already got it. Just don't let other people's opinions get in the way of what you love, okay?

"Yeah," Chad nodded.

"Well, I've got to go study. I'll see you later." Troy said as he turned around.

"Study? You? Dude, Gabriella's really changed you." Chad laughed.

Troy grinned, "Shut up, mophead!" He slid into his seat next to Gabriella. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" he asked.

Gabriella raised an eyebrow, "You mean me opening my book?"

"Yeah, that." he said sarcastically. "Can you help me with this? I don't get it."

"Typical Troy," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you know I'm not as…smart as you." he countered.

She laughed, "That's for sure." she joked as he showed her his textbook.

* * *

"Oh my God, yes!" Sharpay squealed. She was jumping up and down in front of the audition results list, pinned up on the bulletin board. She clicked her tongue, "Attention East High! Sharpay Evans has just made into the talent show, again." She paused, "Oh yeah, and him too." she said, pointing to Ryan. 

A mob of students groaned. "Who cares?" a student piped up.

Sharpay patted her hair, which she had straightened in the morning. "You obviously are jealous that I have talent and you don't," she snarled. "Ryan, aren't you excited?"

"Huh? Oh sure, whatever." he said, as he continued admiring his new hat.

"Then at least act the part! We made it into the talent show for crying out loud!" she screeched.

"Yeah, yeah. Sharpay, this is getting old. We make it in every year. What's the big deal?" Ryan inquired.

Sharpay scoffed, "What's the big deal? The deal is, this could be our big break!"

"You say that about everything." said Ryan.

"Hmph," she pouted, wrinkling her nose. "There are talent scouts coming. Who knows? Maybe I'll be shooting a movie next month!" she cried excitedly.

"Whoop-dee-do." Ryan sighed. "Honestly Sharpay, I could care less about what you want. It's always about you."

She rolled her eyes, "It is not. Do you know what I have to give up for you?"

"Give up for me?" Ryan repeated. "Are you kidding me? _I'm_ the one that has to make sacrifices for _you_."

Sharpay narrowed her eyes at him, "Like when?"

"Yesterday! I couldn't buy the new pair of shoes I've been wanting for six months because you wanted me to buy you a new pair of heels!" he whined.

She shrugged, "Well, yeah. My new stilettos are much nicer than those ugly loafers. I say you were putting your money to good use."

Ryan's face turned red. "That's exactly what I'm talking about! You always think you're better than me! You always boss me around like I'm your servant."

Sharpay squinted at him, "That is not true. Now carry my books to my locker," she ordered, snapping her fingers.

"No," Ryan said.

"Excuse me?" asked Sharpay, not believing her ears.

"Yeah, I said it." Ryan half-yelled. "You can forget about me helping you with your plan to steal Troy. You're on your own!" he said, walking off angrily.

Sharpay's jaw dropped. She quickly recovered, "So? I don't need you. I can do anything I put my heart to…on my own."

Ryan snickered as he faced her, "I'd like to see you try, sis."

* * *

Troy snuck up behind Gabriella and poked her sides. "Miss me?" he asked. 

Gabriella shrieked as she slapped him, "Don't do that! You know that scares the living hell out of me."

"And that's exactly why I do it." Troy said, nodding.

"Whatever," Gabriella rolled her eyes and continued organizing her locker.

Troy sighed as he looked at the East High newspaper staff. "God, I miss being on the front page of the paper."

"Because Mr. Bolton always has to be the center of attention." Gabriella laughed as she stuffed a textbook in her locker.

"Nah," Troy said. "I just like seeing how good I look in my photos."

_So do I_, Gabriella thought. She giggled, "When was the last time you were on the front page?"

Troy put a finger to his chin, "Right before I started dating you." he joked.

She laughed, "Stop it. So what do you want to do?"

"Um, we could study?" he suggested.

"What is up with you and studying lately?" Gabriella asked. "I haven't changed you that much, have I?"

"Not really," he confessed. "Ever since I got a hundred on my last test, I realized that studying can really help you."

"Good job," Gabriella said, sarcastically. She followed Troy to the library. They set their things on a table and Troy went to look for a book that would help him.

"Hey Gabs," Taylor said, sitting down.

"Hi Taylor." Gabriella smiled.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going out with Troy." explained Taylor.

"Apparently, Troy wants to study." Gabriella informed her. She laughed at Taylor's reaction, "I know, I was shocked too."

"Mhmm, that is a shocker." Taylor nodded.

Troy was passing by the autobiography section when he noticed 'the stacks.' The stacks were a section filled with books that no one wanted to check. Instead, students used it as a place to make out, since the librarian herself hardly ever visited the section. Troy looked around to make sure no one was nearby. He pulled out a pen and skimmed the 'appointment sheet.' He checked the 3:30 slot. _Yes, it's empty!_ he thought. He wrote his name on the line, meaning that he was '_now responsible for getting caught by the librarian for making out with his significant other in the stacks.'_ And that '_The stacks staff is not held liable for any detentions given as a penalty.'_

Back at their table, Gabriella and Taylor were talking about their upcoming calculus test. "I am so ready for it." Taylor told Gabriella.

Troy walked up to them, "Hey Taylor, can I borrow Gabriella for a second?" he asked.

Taylor shrugged, "Sure, I guess."

"I'll call you!" Gabriella hollered as Troy pulled her away. "Where are we going?" she whispered to Troy. "I've never been to this part of the library before. Come to think of it, I didn't know this part existed."

"It's called 'the stacks.'" Troy explained as he led her in.

"It's so…deserted." Gabriella commented, looking around. "What do people do in here?"

"You'll see," Troy said as he pulled her into the dark corner of the stacks. He started kissing her.

She smiled and kissed him back. She paused when she felt him playing with her bra strap. "Troy," she said nervously. "What if we get caught?"

He shrugged, "I don't think we will. Ms. Falstaff hasn't checked the stacks since sophomore year. Everybody makes out here."

Gabriella bit her bottom lip, "Well, I guess if it's what everybody else does."

Troy grinned as he pulled her closer. He started to kiss her neck. "You smell good," he muttered as he inhaled deeply on her neck.

Gabriella giggled, she actually liked it. She had never felt so…rebellious. It felt good to break the rules once in a while. "Keep going," she said.

"Really?" Troy perked up.

She nodded, "Keep going."

Troy started to bite her neck as Gabriella pulled his shirt off. Troy loosened her bra and took off her shirt. Things were just about to get hotter when—

"Wow, this will make an interesting story for the front page!" cried someone from the newspaper staff.

Troy looked at the cameras like a deer in the headlights. "What?" he asked confused.

Gabriella quickly pulled her shirt on. "Troy!" she yelled.

"What?" he asked helplessly.

She shook her head, "How could you use me to get on to the front page of the newspaper? I guess you really _do_ have to be the center of attention." She looked at the ground, then back up at him. "I would have never thought you would do something like this. You're willing to embarrass me to get what you want? We're through." she said as she walked away.

Troy's eyes started welling up, "Gabriella?" he asked desperately. She kept on walking.

The editor-in-chief ran up to Sharpay, "Thanks for letting us know that Troy and Gabriella were in the stacks. Thanks to you, we have a great new headline. I can see it now, 'Bolton Shoots, He Scores.'"

Sharpay smiled smugly, "Mm, you're welcome." As soon as they left, she glanced at Troy, who was sitting on the floor, looking heartbroken. "Perfect," she said, smiling with satisfaction.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. As you may have noticed, I am no longer Troy Is My Boy. I am now oh-so-zanessaful. I got the idea of 'the stacks' from the movie The Prince and Me. Please review, no flames!**

**--Kayslee**


	14. Lose Your Love

"Troy? Honey, what are you doing?" Mrs. Bolton asked her son, who was running as fast as he could on a treadmill.

Troy panted, "Oh you know…staying busy to keep my mind off of…off of…"

"Oh no," Mrs. Bolton muttered, knowing a stream of tears was underway. "Troy sweetie…"

"GABRIELLA!" he finished. He powered off the treadmill and dropped onto his bed. "I didn't even do anything wrong!"

Mrs. Bolton sighed and sat down at the end of the bed, "Troy, we both know Gabriella was just jumping to conclusions. Just talk to her and it will all work out."

"Are you kidding me?" Troy questioned. "That's what I've been trying to do all week! All she's done is returned the shirt I left in her room two weeks ago."

"You know all this relationship stuff is new for her. Maybe she was just nervous that you two were caught by the news—what were you doing in Gabriella's room that caused you to leave your shirt there?" his mother asked suspiciously.

Troy's eyes widened, "Nothing."

Mrs. Bolton squinted at him, "Since you're already upset enough, I'll let that one slide. But only this one time, understand?"

"Yeah," said Troy. He covered his face with his pillow.

His mother stood up and headed for the door, "Remember honey, just keep talking to her. Everything will be fine."

"Uh-huh," he mumbled as she left the room.

* * *

The next day at school, Taylor was waiting for Gabriella in the parking lot. She looked at her watch, "Come on Gabby, you were supposed to meet me here five minutes ago." She looked across the lot and spotted Gabriella getting out of her mom's car. 

"Bye Mom," said Gabriella, waving as her mom drove off.

"Gabriella!" Taylor hollered, running up to her best friend. "Hey. Wait a second, why did your mom just drop you off? You have your own car."

Gabriella nodded shyly, "I gave it back to Troy."

Taylor's jaw dropped, "Gabs, I know it's the right thing to do by returning all of your ex's things but returning the car he bought you? That is _crazy_."

"What's so crazy about it?" asked Gabriella.

"He bought it for _you_." Taylor reminded her. "That means it's _yours_, not his."

Gabriella bit her lip, "Well, I feel bad keeping something he spent so much money on. And since we're not dating anymore, he should keep it."

Taylor rolled her eyes, "Sometimes you're a bit _too_ nice Gabriella."

Sharpay pulled into the spot Taylor and Gabriella were standing next to, nearly running them over. She hopped out of her pink convertible and tossed her hair. She took a whiff of the fresh Albuquerque air and turned to Taylor and Gabriella, "Oh! Good morning, ladies." she said with the fakest smile on her face.

Taylor crinkled her nose, "I smell a fake." she muttered under her breath. She fixed a smile on her face, "Hi Sharpay."

"Mmm," Sharpay replied. "It's a wonderful day today, isn't it Ryan?" she asked as her brother was working his way out of the car.

Ryan slipped on his sunglasses, "Yeah, sure."

"Ah," Sharpay said, exhaling. "Come on Ry, East High awaits!" she announced, strutting out of the parking lot.

"Looks like someone's happy that you and Troy broke up," Taylor told Gabriella.

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak when she saw Troy walking by them with his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground. He didn't say anything, even when Chad bounced up to him. Gabriella sighed, she missed him. She missed fighting over the remote at his house, then ending up on the floor, giggling. She missed making fun of his stuffed animals, ending up with him kissing her to shut her up. She missed everything she used to do with Troy. _Maybe I was a bit too hard on him,_ she thought. _No Gabriella, you have to be strong._

* * *

"Dude, what's wrong?" asked Chad, placing his hand on Troy's shoulder. 

"What do you think is wrong with me?!" Troy asked angrily.

"Ouch," Chad mumbled. "I know this is tough for you man. But we're guys, we get through these things! Come on, be a man!"

"A man is nothing without a woman by his side," Troy recited monotonously.

"Okay now you're scaring me." Chad remarked. "Come on man, be strong! Get over it."

Troy stood up, "I don't want to get over it okay?!" he fired. "I don't want to just drop everything and act like I don't want to fix anything. I don't want Gabriella to think that I'm perfectly fine with us being broken up when I'm not!"

Chad had forgotten how emotional Troy could get, "I'm sorry, dude. Sometimes I forget how sensitive we men can be."

Troy sat back down, then faced Chad, "Do you realize it's been four days since I've stared into her gorgeous brown eyes? And that was the time where she was giving me back my shirt, so it still meant nothing!"

"…To her? It probably meant everything to you." said Chad.

"I guess you're right," sighed Troy.

"Hi Troy!" Sharpay giggled, skipping up to him.

Troy rolled his eyes, "Oh. It's _you_ again."

Sharpay gasped. No one had ever talked to her like that before. "Hmph. I will talk to you when you have a better attitude." She stormed off.

"In that case, I won't change my attitude. I am in no mood to talk to her." Troy shared.

* * *

"You're on live with 'He Said, She Said.'" Troy said dully. 

Gabriella sighed at him, "What's your name?" she asked the caller.

"Adam," he replied.

"What's wrong Adam?" Troy asked monotonously.

"Well, my girlfriend broke up with me. But she was just jumping to conclusions." Adam explained.

Troy shot up, "Really?"

Adam sighed, "Yeah. She saw me laughing with another girl and automatically assumed I was cheating."

"Don't worry; I know _exactly _how you feel." Troy said, glaring at Gabriella.

Gabriella shook her head, confused. She had no idea what Troy was talking about. "So, have you called her? Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yeah, I have. She won't listen to me. I keep trying to tell her that I'm not cheating, but she just walks away. How can I get her to listen to me?" Adam asked, desperately.

"Try another form of communication, like writing. Write her a note and see if that works." explained Gabriella.

"But what if she throws the note away before reading it?!" Troy asked angrily, referring to the twenty-seven notes Troy had written to her, all ending up in the trash.

Gabriella sighed, "Maybe talk to her parents and explain that you weren't cheating. Maybe they'll be on your side, and tell her that it was all a misunderstanding."

"Maybe," said Adam. "Should I give her something special to show her how much I love her? She really likes music."

Troy sniffled, "You should write her a song. That's what I would do."

Gabriella looked down at her lap, Troy did write good songs. She remembered the one he wrote for her one weekend. "That's a good idea Troy," she said shyly.

"Yeah, whatever." he said, looking in the opposite direction.

"Thanks!" cried Adam. "I can sing it to her outside her window. This way, she'll have to listen to me!"

After Adam hung up, Troy got up and left. "Mr. Matsui, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.

The principal nodded, "Of course Troy, what is it?"

"I don't think I can do the show anymore." Troy confessed.

"What?!" shrieked Principal Matsui. "Why not? You and Gabriella are doing great!"

Troy sighed and wiped an incoming tear, "It's something personal. It's just too awkward being around her now. I can't even look her in the eyes without losing it."

"Well, I don't really understand." said Principal Matsui. "But I _do_ understand that you teenagers go through some pretty tough times, so I guess I understand. Why don't I tell Gabriella, and we'll try to work things out, okay?"

Troy nodded, "Sure. I'm going to be in the gym if you need me." he said as he took off.

"Gabriella! Could you come here for a second?" asked the principal.

Gabriella got out of her seat and made her way to Principal Matsui, "Yes?"

"Troy won't be doing the show anymore."

"What? Why not?" Gabriella asked, panicking.

"I'm not sure," he said. "He said something about feeling awkward around you and not being able to look at you without going crazy."

"Oh," muttered Gabriella. "Well who's going to replace him? Are we going to cancel the show?"

"I'll leave that up to you." said Principal Matsui. "Either you get Troy back, find a replacement, or no show." He nodded before walking away.

Gabriella brushed one of her brown locks out of her face and sighed heavily. This breakup stuff obviously wasn't easy. She missed Troy…a lot. But how would she survive in the world of relationships if she kept crawling back to the same guy over and over again? Gabriella breathed deeply and headed to the gym. "Just politely ask him to come back to the show." she told herself. She opened the door to gym. Sure enough, Troy was there. But he wasn't shooting baskets, he was doing yoga poses. "Troy?" she asked, confused, "What are you doing?"

Troy immediately broke out of his pose and picked up a basketball, "Nothing."

"Yoga?" she asked, taking the basketball from his grasp.

He nodded, "Yeah. I do it when I'm…stressed. Or when I'm heartbro—sad."

Gabriella pursed her lips, "I see." she shot the ball through the hoop. "Why aren't you going to do the show anymore?" she asked.

"Mr. Matsui told you?" inquired Troy.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It's too…complicated. It just doesn't feel right anymore."

"Oh," Gabriella said sadly, tossing him the ball. He took a shot and sighed. "So how'd you do on your last test?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Um, I failed." admitted Troy. "I guess I haven't been up for studying lately."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Gabriella replied.

"Yeah…I should go." Troy dropped the ball and went out the door to the locker room.

Gabriella huffed and attempted to shoot the ball. It missed. There were so many times when things were awkward between them, and Troy had done his best to fix it. But now, she knew it was her turn to make things right.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I'm sorry this chapter was so boring. But the good news is I'm already working on the next one! So, if you're really good and review, I'll update today. So review, and remember: No Flames! And this my friends, marks the end of part two! Part three, here we come! **

**--Kayslee**


	15. Part III: Intro

Gabriella spent the next morning waiting for Troy. She looked at her watch, glaring at the minute hand. "Come on Troy, you're never late." she murmured. She was about to pull out a book to read when she heard a bunch of girls screaming. _That must mean Troy's here,_ she thought.

"Troy! Did I mention your hair looks lush today?" asked Starla Samuels, a freshman.

"Um, thanks." Troy said uncomfortably. He headed over to his locker.

"Hi!" Gabriella shrieked excitedly, jumping in front of him.

Troy bit his lip, wondering why Gabriella was acting like one of his fan girls. "Hey?"

"So, um, after talking to you yesterday…" she began. "I was thinking…" RING! The homeroom bell chimed and students shuffled through the halls to find their homeroom.

Troy looked a bit jumpy, as if he was anxious to hear what Gabriella was about to say, "Um, I'll talk to you during lunch." he said.

She nodded sadly, "Okay." They walked in silence to Mrs. Darbus's classroom.

Troy sighed; he wanted to reach for her hand, but was saddened by the fact that he could no longer do that. They went into the classroom and he slipped into his seat.

Gabriella moped to the back of the room, where her desk was. _He's probably already over me_. She blew a lock of hair out of her face and drew her attention to Ms. Darbus.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" she announced dramatically. "Well, the student council has decided to name the rest of this week and all of next week, Friendship Week!"

The students groaned, that didn't sound like fun. "Man, that's so cheesy!" Chad yelled.

"And to kick off the week, we have a skit to perform, written by Principal Matsui himself!" cheered Ms. Darbus.

"The cheese master himself." Chad chuckled, laughing at his own stupid joke.

"Students, each homeroom should choose two students to perform the friendship skit for the class." said the teacher.

"Friendship skit?" Troy muttered Chad. "Man, this is going to be the lamest thing ever—"

"Troy! Troy! Troy!" cheered the homeroom students.

Troy's eyes widened, "What? No."

"Mr. Bolton, the class is waiting." said Ms. Darbus, winking.

Troy shuddered as he walked to front of the class. "Fine," he mumbled.

"Choose a girl." Ms. Darbus told him.

Troy's eyes circled around the room. "Oh Troy! Pick me!" Sharpay shrieked, waving her hands frantically in the air.

"Sorry Sharpay, I'm afraid I don't work with life-sized Barbies." he said matter-of-factly.

Sharpay smiled, "It's okay Troy. I know deep, deep down, you're just in denial. How adorable!" she squealed.

"Gabriella," he said. "Get up here."

Gabriella looked up from her calculus book. "Huh?"

"Come on," he said, smiling. If they weren't going to get back together, the least he could was try to build a friendship with her.

She giggled, "Um, okay." she replied as she made her to the front of the classroom. Ms. Darbus handed each of them a script and pointed at Gabriella to start. "Wow Benny, I am so glad you are my best friend." Gabriella giggled at the cheesy lines.

Troy cleared his throat, "Yeah Shelley, our friendship is…the bomb." he squinted, this skit was most definitely written by Principal Matsui.

"Do you want to get some ice cream later, Benny?" Gabriella recited.

"Yeah, that would be fun." Troy answered. "Let's hug."

"Yes, let's Benny." Gabriella couldn't help but laugh as their characters hugged.

Ms. Darbus swooned, "This, boys and girls, is the image of true friendship."

Gabriella grinned as she and Troy hugged, it felt good to be in his arms again. "Troy, Gabriella, you know you don't have to hug that long, right?" the teacher reminded them.

Troy and Gabriella pulled away awkwardly, "Um, yeah." Troy said, as he and Gabriella headed back to their seats. "Dude, did you see that?" he whispered to Chad.

Chad scoffed, "Pfft, yeah. That was the lamest skit ever."

"No!" Troy cried. "I'm talking about the hug. Gabriella couldn't let go of me!" he whispered excitedly, sounding like a little boy.

"Yeah…" said Chad. "Are you sure you weren't the one who was willing to let go?"

Troy raised his eyebrows, "Maybe you're right. But hey, if she didn't want to hug me, she would've tried to let go."

"That was an amazing skit, if I may say so." Ms. Darbus commented. "The Principal has also requested that teachers inform students that Friday is East High's first annual Friendship Dance."

"What the heck?" Jason snickered. "A Friendship Dance, are you serious?"

"Yes Mr. Cross, a Friendship Dance. The student council says it's a great opportunity to bond with friends. Where guys and girls can dance without any romantic pressure." said Ms. Darbus.

"Did you hear that?" Gabriella asked Taylor. "That's the perfect opportunity for me to try to work things out with Troy!"

Taylor nodded, "You're right. Without any romantic pressure, right?"

Gabriella sighed, "I don't know. Being without him makes me realize that…I need him."

"Gabriella, you told me that you'd never be able to survive in the world of relationships if you kept crawling back to the same guy!" Taylor exclaimed.

"I know, it's just…maybe it wasn't the right time for me and Troy to go our separate ways."

"But what about the newspaper? He used you." said Taylor.

Gabriella paused, "Yeah, you're right." The bell rang for students to go to first period. Gabriella gathered her things and headed out the door. On her way to first period calculus, Sharpay 'accidentally' bumped into her.

Sharpay gasped, "I am so sorry, Gabriella!" she said as sarcastically as she could, while still trying to sound a bit realistic. "Let me help you with that," she said as she picked up Gabriella's notebook, then dropping it again, causing all her papers to scatter all over the place. "Oops! I seem to have made it worse. Oh well!" she said, skipping away.

"Ugh," Gabriella muttered as she bent down to pick up her stuff. She was about to recollect her papers when a pair of hands picked them up for her.

"Let me help with you with that…for real." said Troy.

Gabriella grinned as she looked up at him, "Thanks." She picked up the rest of her stuff and stuffed it in her book bag. Troy handed her the stack of papers, and there was an awkward silence. "Um, thanks for your help Troy, but I'm going to be late for math." she told him.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to be late for bio. So, that lunch meeting still on?" he asked.

Gabriella bit her lip and nodded, "Yeah." she said with a small smile painted on her face. She waved as she started walking over to her math class.

* * *

The bell chimed, excusing students from their fourth period classes. Troy raced outside his classroom and zoomed down the halls. Breathless, he arrived at the cafeteria and snagged a table before it was crowded. Ten minutes later, Troy's head was in his hands. He was starting to get tired of waiting. 

"Waiting for someone?" Gabriella asked, holding her lunch tray.

Troy smiled, "Hey. I'm guessing those lunch lines get pretty long, right?" he asked.

She nodded, "Right. So, aren't you going to eat?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry." he said. "So…what did you want to talk about?"

Gabriella froze, "Right, um…"

"Yeah?" Troy asked.

"Well, I…after talking to you yesterday in the gym, I decided that maybe we should—"

"Hey guys!" said Chad, sitting down at the Taylor.

Troy rolled his eyes; Gabriella was obviously in the middle of something important. "Hey Chad."

"So what's up?" asked their bushy-haired friend.

"Oh nothing," Gabriella said sarcastically. "Maybe we should continue this later," she mouthed to Troy.

He nodded, "Okay," he mouthed back.

"Continue what?" asked Chad, smirking.

Troy shook his head, "NOTHING, Chad." Soon after that, Taylor, Zeke, and Jason joined the group.

"Troy and Gabriella were in the middle of something important," Chad stated.

"Oh really?" Zeke asked, winking at Troy.

"Ew, dude. Stop it." Troy said, disgusted.

"Tell us!" cried Jason.

"Yeah," said Taylor, smoothing out her skirt. "I'm sure we'd love to hear all about it."

"Um, I'm sorry," Gabriella started to say, "Troy and I must confer in private, excuse us." she said, taking Troy's hand and pulling him away from the rest of the group. They sat down at a table located at the other end of the cafeteria. Gabriella took hold of his hands, "I…"

"Troy!" Sharpay squealed, hopping over to their table.

"I should've known," Gabriella sighed. "I'll see you later, Troy." she said, dumping her lunch in the trash.

"Sharpay," Troy said, taking her hand.

Her eyes sparkled, "Yes Troy?" Her heart was pounding. The moment she had been waiting years for was finally about to arrive.

Troy smiled at her, "Sharpay, I've always wanted to do this." he said, leaning in.

Sharpay closed her eyes and smiled, "Me too."

He got closer and closer, instead of reaching for her lips, his mouth aimed for her ear, "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" he yelled. Ryan, who was hanging out with a couple of his friends from the drama club, couldn't help but laugh. Sharpay scoffed and stormed off.

Troy got up and made his way back to his friends. "Hey guys," he said.

"So, what went on between you and Gabriella?" Chad asked hopefully.

Troy sighed, "Nothing."

"Come on man, don't lie. We know something juicy happened between you and her." Jason shared.

"Honestly, guys. Nothing happened. But something would've happened if you guys didn't interrupt us!" exclaimed Troy.

Chad put his hands up in the air, innocently, "Sorry."

"I can't wait for the Friendship Dance," explained Troy.

"Seriously, Troy?" asked Jason. "It sounds so lame."

"Maybe," Troy admitted. "But it does give me a chance to patch things up with Gabriella."

Taylor perked up, "You seriously want to get back with her?"

Troy frowned, "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"What about the newspaper?" she whispered.

Troy sighed, "Taylor, I've finally moved on from that embarrassment. Do you know how humiliating it is to see you playing with your ex-girlfriend's bra strap on the front page of the paper?"

"Then why in the world did you ask the newspaper staff to come while you and Gabriella were in the stacks?" asked Taylor.

Troy's face fell, "Taylor, would you believe me if I told you that I never called the newspaper staff?"

"So you're telling me that you had no idea the paper was coming?" Taylor questioned.

"No!" Troy shrieked. "I'm completely innocent, it wasn't me."

"Then who did?" asked Zeke, joining in the conversation.

The whole table fell quiet, as if they were all thinking. "Sharpay," they all said at the same time, including Zeke. "It fits perfectly!" Taylor piped up. "You know she'd do anything to break up you and Gabriella! Why didn't I see that before?"

"Because you wanted to be there for your best friend," said Troy.

Taylor nodded, "True. Wait till I tell Gabriella!"

"Taylor," Troy interrupted. "Do you mind if I tell her? At the Friendship Dance?"

Taylor grinned, "Aw, okay."

"But Troy," Jason started to say. "It's a Friendship Dance. No romantic pressure, remember?"

"Oh yeah," said Troy.

"Wait a second," said Chad, putting his arm around Taylor. "Girlfriend has the word 'friend' in it, doesn't it?" he asked. Chad smiled, "I love my loopholes."

Taylor sighed; Chad could be so full of himself sometimes. "I hate to admit, but Chad does have a point there. A boyfriend or girlfriend is a friend. _And_, Gabriella told me that she's going to try to work things out with you as well. So technically, it's not romantic pressure if both of you are agreeing to get back together."

"Um, I guess you're right." Troy said quietly.

Chad frowned, "Why the long face, man? You were so happy a minute ago."

"I'm actually kind of nervous now," Troy shrugged. "What if Gabriella thinks I'm only getting back with her because being single isn't good for my image? I mean, I know she wants to get back together with me as well, but maybe she thinks I don't want to get back with her for the joy of actually being with her."

Taylor shook her head, "Come on Troy, you'll be fine. On Friday, just go out there, and get your girl back."

* * *

"Taylor, I'm really nervous." Gabriella confessed as she was standing in front of her bathroom mirror. 

"Gabs, you'll be fine. You know Troy's still crazy about you." Taylor soothed.

Gabriella's face sprouted a smile, "Really? He is?"

Taylor rolled her eyes, "Where have you been for the past two weeks Gabriella? Haven't you seen it in the way he looks at you? Or how he kept sending little letters to you even after you threw all the other twenty-something letters away? Come on, wake up and smell the coffee."

"I guess you're right," agreed Gabriella, who continued brushing her hair. Her smile faded, "But wait, it's a _Friendship _Dance. What if he only hangs out with me at the dance to be my friend?"

Taylor sighed; it seemed as if she was reliving the scene she had with Troy early in the week. "Trust me Gabby, everything will fall into place. Just let your heart take control, okay?"

"Okay," Gabriella nodded, with a huge smile on her face.

* * *

Troy fidgeted with the first button of his button up shirt. He had spent over an hour trying to pick out a shirt before the dance, and the one he had finally settled on still didn't feel right. "What was I thinking?" he asked himself. 

"Hey," said Gabriella, biting her lip nervously. "Um, I like your shirt."

Troy grinned as he stood up, "Thanks. So, how's it going?" He was getting a little bit jumpy and his heart was racing.

"Good…thanks." she answered awkwardly. _Wow, I never thought I'd end up this nervous, _she thought. _Maybe for now, it'd be best for us to just be friends_.

"That's good," Troy gulped. _Man, this is going to be way harder than I thought. It's been so long_, he thought. _Eh, I don't think I can do this. Until I can build up more courage, I think we should stay friends_.

"Um, Troy…" Gabriella started. "I'm not really happy with all the awkwardness that's been going on between us. Do you think…maybe, we could try to be friends?"

He nodded, "Yeah! That'd be great." He paused, "I'd love to be friends."

Gabriella smiled from ear-to-ear, hiding how she was feeling inside. Truth be told, she was hoping he would hint on becoming more than just friends. _He just wants to be friends,_ she thought sadly.

_She just wants to be friends_, thought Troy. He faked a smile, "So, do you want to go look for the rest of the group?"

"Yeah," she said. "Let's go." Gabriella spotted Taylor at the other end of the gym, "Taylor!" she hollered, waving a hand in the air.

Taylor smiled at Gabriella, "Hey!" she hollered back. "She's with Troy," she whispered to Chad.

"Guys, she's with Troy!" Chad whispered to the rest of the group, consisting of Jason, Zeke, and Kelsi. The rest of them nodded and fled the room. "See you guys later!" Chad and Taylor yelled from the other end of the room to Troy and Gabriella. They turned around and left the gym.

"What?" Troy asked, confused. "Chad!" he called. He sighed, "Great. Now what are we going to do?"

"Good evening, East High!" cried Principal Matsui, up at his podium. "Welcome to our first annual Friendship Dance!" His joyful shriek was followed by a mob of groans and cries coming from the students. "Quiet! Now, if you would please turn to the person standing closest to you, boy _or_ girl, and get to know them a little better."

Troy turned to Gabriella, "This is strange, isn't it?"

"I'll say," she giggled.

Troy nodded and looked around the room. Many girls had been paired up, so they scrambled around the room to find a guy they could dance with. Once every guy and girl had been paired up, the lights dimmed and a slow song started playing. Troy's leg was shaking, a habit he always had when he was nervous. "So, um, I guess we should…dance?"

"Yeah," replied Gabriella, looking at all the other students in the room. They uncomfortably started dancing, hoping their feelings would overthrow their nervousness. Gabriella tried her best to avoid looking into his eyes, but she could feel those icy blue lights burning as he watched her. She could hear her heartbeat, and hear the thump of Troy's, perfectly timed with hers. Giving into her feelings, she decided she was brave enough to look up. Sure enough, his crystalline eyes were looking down at her. He grinned at her, and she grinned back.

"So, friends right?" he asked, still smiling.

She smiled and looked into his eyes, she pursed her lips in and nodded, "Yeah, friends." She sighed heavily, being so close to Troy, feeling his heartbeat, and sensing his breath softly blowing in front of her, she knew they were perfect together.

"Gabriella, I was thinking," Troy started. "Maybe we should get back—" his words froze as he felt Gabriella's lips on his. She was already one step ahead.

* * *

**A/N: Yikes! I admit, this chapter was a little bit rushed, but I was so excited to get them back together I couldn't wait any longer! Please review, no flames!**

**--Kayslee**


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